Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane lauds "fitness, courage" of Jammu and Kashmir pacers

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 25 (ANI): Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane conceded that his side wasn't up to the mark and praised the Jammu and Kashmir pacers for their showing in the Ranji Trophy match.
In both innings, Mumbai's established stars including Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer perished against the little known J-K quick trio of Auqib Nabi, Umar Nazir Mir and Yudhvir Singh.
Opting to bat on the opening day, Mumbai batters crumbled to 47/7 and then 107/7 in their second turn. The visitors had to chase down 205, which they effortlessly did with four sessions to spare.
After the bashing that Mumbai received, Rahane suggested that he had misread the pitch. He felt the strip at Sharad Pawar Ground would turn on Day 2, but it turned out to be completely opposite.
"When we saw the wicket [before the match], it looked really dry. Comparatively, the games which we played here previously, this was the driest wicket. We thought three spinners will be the best option. I thought in the second innings the third spinner will come handy. We thought it would turn from day two, but it didn't," Rahane said, according to ESPNcricinfo.
"I think we were not up to the mark as a team, as a unit. And as I said, you know they challenged us, and they played really well, so they deserved to win," he added.
With a 5-wicket defeat, the defending champions' chances of qualification have taken a major hit. J-K now sit at the top of Group A, while Mumbai slipped to the third spot. Even a victory against Meghalaya may not be enough to ensure their qualification if J-K and Baroda stay ahead of them.
Rahane gave the due credit to J-K pacers, who bowled in tandem throughout the Test. The Mumbai skipper was impressed with "courage" and "fitness" of the trio that bamboozled the hosts.
"I'm happy to see their fast bowlers running hard, bowling in the right areas for a consistent period of time. They're eager to do well for their team. I thought most of them bowled 8-10 over spells and that needs courage and good fitness. So really happy for them, the way they bowled, the way they showed their character. It's a really good thing," he said.
"They bowled consistently in tight areas, they challenged our batting line-up, especially in both the innings, so credit to them," he added. (ANI)