Mumbai put an end to flop shows

Three matches into the Ranji Trophy Super League, Mumbai were staring down the barrel.

Three matches into the Ranji Trophy Super League, Mumbai were staring down the barrel. They returned without a single point in their kitty from Bengal and Punjab and the nine-wicket defeat to Hyderabad had just about closed the qualifying gates on them.

But that was in 2006. The year 2007 seems to have brought Mumbai some good luck and a lot of willpower. An authoritative display at home and away in the next three games has now helped the Ranji superpowers dash into the semi-finals of the tournament.

After an innings and 154-run victory over Maharashtra in the last Super League encounter, they will now play the semi-final against Group A leaders Baroda from January 23.

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The victory over Maharashtra wasn’t just about entering the semis. It was Mumbai’s first outright victory away this season and definitely revenge over the arch-rivals who had managed to conquer them last season at home. This time around, former Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit and captain Sairaj Bahutule had no choice but to simply watch their opponents rule in the four-day match.

At the Nasik’s Golf Ground Maharashtra had just four wickets left and were still 177 runs short when the fourth day’s play began today. It was just a matter of how long Mumbai would take in capturing the remaining scalps.

The horror for the hosts, nevertheless, began with the first ball of the day. Left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni caught Maharashtra wicket-keeper Satyajeet Satbhai off his own bowling for a duck and in the next eight overs the match was over. Medium-pacer Swapnil Hazare captured one, while Kulkarni came back to clinch the last two.

The uncomfortable whispers about Mumbai having lost the zing had becoming deafening early in the season, and now suddenly Amol Muzumdar’s boys look like leading contenders for the title.

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“We’ve definitely followed the performances of Baroda and Karnataka and they’ve been really good. We’ll have to continue the good work if we have to maintain that pace,’’ a confident Muzumdar said.

Karnataka may still be a step away, but Mumbai need to look at Baroda immediately, who they play next. Baroda will mean facing the likes of Irfan Pathan, Rakesh Patel and Rajesh Patel and bowling to Jacob Martin, Connor Williams, Satyajeet Parab and Pathan again.

“They are a good team and we will be definitely on our toes throughout the next ten days,’’ the skipper says.

Brief Scores: Mumbai 515 for 8 decl. (S O Kukreja 114, HN Shah 112, A Nair 88, R P Jadhav 3/125) Maharashtra 190 and 171 (YV Takawale 52, S Sriram 52, N Kulkarni 6/46).

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A controversial decision-making process has set off divisions within the CBFC, and cast a long regulatory shadow on the Indian film industry as it aspires to be a global player . The Indian Express spoke to several top filmmakers and board members to find that a not-so-silent storm is brewing within the fraternity — and inside the CBFC, too — over what many call a “one-man show”.

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