Ranji Trophy Quarterfinal | Deshpande credits bowling in partnerships for Mumbai’s comeback against Karnataka

When Tushar Deshpande walked out to bowl on Saturday, he knew that on a MCA-BKC ground surface, which offered uneven bounce, the batters would struggle.

At the team huddle, it was decided that bowling in partnerships would be the key. And for the next couple of hours, Deshpande and Mohit Avasthi executed their plans to perfection as they claimed four wickets apiece to bundle out Karnataka for 173 and bring Mumbai back into the game.

“It was more about bowling in partnerships. Yesterday, when I came to bowl, they (Karnataka) already had a flying start. But this morning, we had them three down already, and that was my chance to run through their batting lineup,” Deshpande told The Hindu.

“We knew that the surface was also helping the seam bowlers, so it was very important for us to bowl in the right areas, and also approach things with a positive mindset, and that paid dividends,” he added.

While Mumbai got an early breakthrough when Shardul Thakur dismissed Karun Nair, it was important for the bowling unit to keep calm. “When the pitch is offering some help, it’s very important to bowl in the right areas and not get carried away. That’s exactly what we followed,” Deshpande said.