Captain Tare lauds youngsters for 'intelligent chase'

Two young Mumbai batsmen were at the heart of what captain Aditya Tare called an "intelligent chase" on the final day against Railways. Tare called the six-wicket win, Mumbai's third outright, the most important one of their season yet, given that the competition was nearing the knockout phase. What has, however, heartened him more is the responsibility shouldered by Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar, whose 143-run partnership for the second wicket set up Mumbai's pursuit of 295 in 70 overs.

Iyer's arrival to the crease was hastened by the departure of debutant Jay Bista in the fifth over, but there was not the slightest hint of a nervy beginning as he instantly eased into rhythm. It was this quality of Iyer's that drew most praise from his captain. "I feel very comfortable when Iyer is batting at the other end, because he is always the one who takes on the opposition and makes things easier," Tare said.

Iyer had to contend with plenty of spin bowling - of the 64 overs that Railways bowled, only 10 involved seamers - but he leveraged his reach optimally to hit against the spin. His arrival immediately resulted in fewer men close in, and Iyer was clever enough to exploit that, pinching quick twos whenever he could not send a ball soaring over the fence. His streetsmartness coupled with obvious potential didn't escape the attention of Railways captain Mahesh Rawat, who reckoned Iyer was "very near" to making the national side.

Tare, for his part, said Iyer's approach opened up opportunities for other batsmen. "When he is there the field is always spread and he also makes the batsman coming in comfortable because he is quite positive in his mind. So he passes on that sort of energy," Tare said.

Iyer's energy found the right collaborative force in Herwadkar's calmness, and a barter of their individual strengths resulted in a potent combination. Herwadkar, who was off key in the first few games, has produced scores of 58, 67, 58, 75 and 145 in his last five innings. When Mumbai, according to Tare, had "faltered" against legspinner Karn Sharma in the first innings and were in danger of conceding the lead, Herwadkar grinded out a big hundred and handed his team a useful cushion.

Herwadkar approach, though, was considerably less cautious in the second innings, even as he switched seamlessly between defence and offence.

"Exceptional," Tare said when asked about Herwadkar's progress. "I thought this was the best he had played so far in his short first-class career. He is taking responsibilities, growing into a good opening batsman.

"He is quite positive and likes to hit the ball. In the top we need someone who can take the opposition on the back foot. He is very talented; if he stays long he is going to score runs. If he knows that he is going to be a terrific player for Mumbai."

After making last-minute dashes to the knockout stages in recent years, Mumbai have managed early form this season. Tare, however, believed the tournament began only in the last-eights, and he would be looking at Iyer and Herwadkar as Mumbai's prime enforcers.