Aditya Tare has been ruled out of the remainder of the Ranji Trophy after fracturing his finger during Mumbai’s quarterfinal against Uttarakhand. Prasad Pawar is set to join the squad as his replacement ahead of the semifinal against Uttar Pradesh, starting on Tuesday.
Tare injured the finger while attempting a catch down the leg off pacer Tushar Deshpande in Uttarakhand’s second innings. The scans later revealed a fracture, thus ruling Tare out at least for four weeks.
As a result, Hardik Tamore, the back-up wicketkeeper who led Mumbai to the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy championship in April, is set to be drafted into the Mumbai XI, with Pawar serving as back-up ’keeper.
Unfortunate
“It is unfortunate that we will miss Aditya’s experience. Prasad was a part of the group during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, so the selection committee unanimously picked him,” Salil Ankola, Mumbai’s chief selector, said on Saturday.
Tare, who is Mumbai’s last Ranji Trophy-winning captain, returned home on Saturday evening.
“It is obviously disappointing to be missing out on the big matches, but cannot do much about it since I am struggling to grip the bat. I am sure Hardik will come good in the crunch situation with the bat and behind the stumps,” Tare told The Hindu before leaving for the Bengaluru airport.
“I am confident that this Mumbai team has the wherewithal to go all the way and bring back the Ranji Trophy.”
Pawar, 27, made his Mumbai debut during the Vijay Hazare Trophy when Tare was rested for the last league game against Pondicherry. But he will have to wait in the wings with Tamore being the frontrunner to don the gloves on Tuesday.
Specialist batter
Tamore played four Ranji games during the 2019-20 season as specialist batter. With Tare leading the team back then, Tamore, a stylish right-handed batter, could not play the wicketkeeper’s role.
The 24-year-old was a part of Mumbai’s Ranji squad for the league stage in February-March. Having just recovered from COVID and Tare being exceptional behind the wickets, Tamore had to wait for his chance. He will be hoping to make the most of the opportunity, that too in a Ranji semifinal, next week.
