"Surya and Shivam’s mere participation in this quarter-final game is not required": Sanjay Patil

Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil wants big performances from India players starting from Saturday’s quarter-final against Haryana at Eden Gardens

Mumbai chief selector Sanjay Patil wants India players Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube to emulate star cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri and Sanjay Manjrekar and help Mumbai secure a big win over Haryana in the upcoming Ranji Trophy quarter-final at Kolkata. 
Suryakumar, who led India to T20I series 4-1 win over England on Sunday, and all-rounder Dube, a member of India’s winning team, have been included in Mumbai’s 18-member team for the game at Eden Gardens from February 8.  

Rich tradition 

“Surya and Shivam’s mere participation in this quarter-final game is not required. They should shoulder the responsibility and be a part of a big victory over our opponents. Whenever big stars like Gavaskar, Tendulkar, Vengsarkar, Shastri and Manjrekar played for Mumbai, they always helped us clinch a big victory in the Ranji Trophy. I expect these India players to carry forward that legacy,” Patil told mid-day. 

Suryakumar and Dube are not part of the India ODI squad in the ongoing series against England, like they were in the just concluded T20 series. 

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Sanjay Patil and Shivam Dube

‘Need genuine efforts’

Patil, a former Mumbai left-arm spinner, added: “Considering the big defeat to Jammu & Kashmir despite six India players representing Mumbai, we lost big-time due to mere participation [of the current India players like Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dube]. I expect Surya and Shivam to come up with extraordinary efforts. I want them to realise the importance of their place in the Mumbai team for this crucial game. As a chairman of the selection committee, I expect them to perform well with genuine efforts.”

Patil was part one of only three non-Test players in the Mumbai playing XI which lost narrowly to the Kapil Dev-led Haryana outfit in the 1990-91 Ranji 
Trophy final at the Wankhede Stadium. Shishir Hattangadi and Ranji Trophy debutant Abey Kuruvilla were the other two.

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