In a bid to claim their 17th Irani Trophy title, Mumbai cricketers got down to the business for the first time in the season under the watchful eyes of Pravin Amre at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) on Tuesday.
Coach Amre along with players present there had a couple of hours’ fielding session on the opening day. Among the notable absentees were captain Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane, Iqbal Abdulla, who are in Chandigarh for the JP Atray tournnament.
Amre, though, seemed satisfied with the fitness of the players including Rohit Sharma. “Rohit is under the watchful eyes of Paul Close. He looked fitter and will be available for the Irani Trophy,” he said.
The Mumbai side that did not have a great outing in All India Buchi Babu Tournament in Chennai — failing to qualify in the semifinals — camped in Baroda last week, besides playing a couple of 90-over matches there. “This was our first session in Mumbai. With the ground being wet we had a fielding session and from tomorrow we are going to have proper nets,” Amre said.
As the Irani Trophy will be played in the dry Nagpur, the former India batsman revealed their recent camp in Baroda was of great help. “It was pretty hot in Baroda hence I don’t think it’s going to be any problem in Nagpur. However, we are cautious too and having lots of fluids so that the players don’t get dehydrated. All the players have responded well so far and we are looking forward to it,” he added.
Amre feels the Irani Trophy would be crucial for Mumbai. “It is the start of the season and it being the first match we would not be complacent. We have a balanced side which can bring us the trophy back. The boys are pretty optimistic and eager to go and perform,” he added.
