Mumbai, Feb 23: Wasim Jaffer was the architect of Mumbai’s thrilling win over Gujarat in Thursday’s West Zone encounter of the Inter State One-day League at the Wankhede Stadium. The former captain anchored Mumbai’s tottering innings with a masterful knock of 104 runs and held two stunning catches in the outfield as Mumbai defended a modest 233.
Speaking to the media after the victory the senior batsman spoke about Mumbai’s batting and his performance in the match.
Excerpts:
On Mumbai’s total of 233 runs
My partnerships with Ajit [Agarkar], Iqbal [Abdulla] and Dhawal [Kulkarni] helped us reach the total of 233. When I was batting, I thought if we got to 180 odd runs, we could make a match out of it but those partnerships got us into a better position. We then bowled really well and even though we didn’t get early wickets, we kept the pressure on. After getting the first wicket, we were right into the game all the time.
On the team’s fielding
The game was tight. With our total, we knew we can’t give away any easy runs and can’t afford to drop any catches. So, everybody was keen and put up a better performance than the first game.
On his diving catch
I don’t think I’ve taken such a catch in recent times, not in the outfield at least. It was an instinctive action. I saw the ball and jumped to it and luckily it stuck in the hand.
On his batting performance
I just wanted to bat for as many overs as possible. I knew if we bat out 50 overs, we will get to a defendable target. We had a long way to go after we lost the seventh wicket in the 32nd over. We just needed a partnership to get going and even four or five runs an over would’ve sufficed. My job was just to bat with the tail-enders and carry the innings till the end.
On life after quitting captaincy and being the senior most cricketer in the side
As a captain, I was used to following a pattern for four years, going to the meeting and into the game with a lot of things on my mind. Now the mind is more relaxed even though there is the pressure to perform with the bat. Irrespective of who the captain is, it is everyone’s job to ensure Mumbai wins.
On the lower-order batting
Even when Ajit got out, I was confident of getting to a decent total as we still had the likes of Ankeet [Chavan], Iqbal and Dhawal. Even Kshemal can bat, so I knew that it is not over as long as we play fifty overs.
