There are several cricket experts who believe that the Indian domestic circuit is one of the most challenging ones across the world. Especially in the first class format, it’s super difficult to showcase your talent consistently because you’re competing against hundreds of players spread across 30+ teams in competitions like the Ranji Trophy.
Read Scoops recently caught up with a player who has had an extremely successfully domestic season personally. He won Ranji Trophy 2023-24 with Mumbai, then won Duleep Trophy with India A, and finally completed a very rare Indian first class treble by bringing home the Irani Cup with Mumbai again. We’re talking the rising star from Mumbai, Shams Mulani.
His numbers have been incredible right through the recent red-ball season. He picked up 35 wickets including two 5-fers in 9 games during the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy, to go with 353 runs (4 fifties) with the bat. He backed that up with 7 wickets and 141 runs in 2 games in the Duleep Trophy, ending the season with 3 wickets in the sole Irani Cup game. Keep reading below for excerpts from our Shams Mulani interview.
Shams Mulani social profiles 🌐:
Hi Shams! Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Irani Cup in a single season! What are the reasons contributing to these successes?
To be honest, this team has been playing together on and off for almost four years now, since Amol Muzumdar Sir had taken over. We’ve been performing at a very decent level too. After a couple of years of hard work, it finally clicked for us as a team (Mumbai Ranji team). Everyone contributed in one or the other game, and that’s what helped us actually achieve the victory. There were a couple of times where we were almost out of the contest, until someone’s individual brilliance rescued the team. But it was a team effort altogether because someone was contributing in each and every game for us. In that aspect, it was a sweet moment for us because we were very close 2 years ago when we lost to Madhya Pradesh in the final. We had a good team, people were in great form, but somehow things didn’t work for us. We didn’t click together as a team in the final and we lost. So we had that loss in mind as well.
Going through the season, there were 6-7 of us in the Mumbai team who had never won the trophy. We had that fire that we’ve never won Ranji Trophy, even though Mumbai as a team had won the title 41 times in the past. Those were the talks and the motivation in the camp, that we’ve not won but we have to do it now. It was that important for us and the people of Mumbai. And after we won Ranji, Duleep Trophy happened. We obviously played well as a team and won that too. And finally when it came to the Irani Trophy, we knew that we had to be triumphant because it was 27 years Mumbai hadn’t won it. So everyone had that fire and determination to contribute, including the senior players who played for Team India. Shardul (Thakur) was not well, yet came back after being admitted to hospital overnight. He returned to the field with the bat, and bowled a very crucial spell too. Instances like those motivated each of us. The way we played together as a team helped us win the title here too.
50 🆙 in style! 🔥
Shams Mulani playing a vital knock for India A so far 👌#DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Follow the match ▶️: https://t.co/m9YW0Hu10f pic.twitter.com/oIcopsCRVX
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 12, 2024
Shams mulani and Tanush kotian 👏👌.
So so proud of you both.
Crisis men for Mumbai and now for INDA in the Duleep trophy. Enjoy the journey bhai log ❤️— Surya Kumar Yadav (@surya_14kumar) September 12, 2024
Which was your most memorable game this entire season personally?
I think the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 final was very special to me because prior to that, I had played a final but was on the losing side. We were chasing the game all the time in that final. But this time, we were setting the tone. In the 1st innings, we did well. I contributed with the ball. And in the 2nd innings, we put on a very good total, which was too much for the opposition. We weren’t chasing the game this time around; we were in front always. You always want to be in front in the knockout stages, and we were doing that at the biggest stage. So, that has to be the sweetest game for me.
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What work have you put in to ensure consistency with the ball and also bat recently?
Since Amol Sir took over, there has been a clear transition in my game. We always talked about not just playing at the highest level, but dominating at the highest level too. That sometimes got me thinking. I was just playing Ranji Trophy and thinking how I can do well in any particular game. And this guy comes in and says I need to have the vision of playing 50 Test matches for India. Stuff like that was way above my thinking at the time. And that clicked for me. The mentality changed.
Omkar Salvi Sir and the management team we have now is top-notch. I’m just trying to contribute, work hard towards my game, and work hard on myself too. All the small things that two years ago, people had to tell me, I’m now doing it on my own. That transition has come because of the mentality engrained into the team by Amol Sir. Because of that, we as a unit and as players, Tanush (Kotian), Mohit (Avasthi), and me, who played under him, have changed with our mindset. There was the transition of becoming a player who’s now vying to play for the country.
Apart from management, who has been the most influential teammate recently?
For a couple of years now, I think Sarfaraz Khan has been one of the most motivating factors for me. We’ve played our Under-14s, Under-16s, and Under-19s together, for around 14-15 years. I know his game, he knows mine, and we talk about cricket a lot. Seeing him do well in Ranji Trophy and then finally getting the chance of playing for India has been inspiring. I’m also walking on a similar path; he’s a batsman and I’m a bowler who can bat.
Along with Sai Kishore, He is the one player who can be replacement of Ravindra Jadeja
Now that he is playing for India A as well, he isn’t far away from Test debut
Shams Mulani in Ranji Trophy 2024:
8 match
31 wickets
Avg: 24-3 FIFTY with the batpic.twitter.com/rbK8SqnK4m
— Varun Giri (@Varungiri0) March 7, 2024
I’m trying to pick up as many as wickets I can. Sarfaraz always tried to score as much as he could, and most of the times it was 150+ scores. He’s the biggest motivating factor for me. I’ve seen his hard work and how much time he gives to the game, and the appetite he has to bat is at a different level altogether. When we meet, I try to learn a few points from him, learn his mentality, because I always want to compete with people who are better than me in some aspects. He is better than me. He has a bigger appetite than me right now. I always strive to be that person who can deliver like he does for the team.
What are your expectations from the IPL 2025 Auction later this year?
I’ve been a part of Mumbai Indians for two years now. We’ve seen how unpredictable the Indian Premier League can be. So for me, it’s all about trying to perform at my highest capacity in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, to show what good form I’m in and how important a player I can be. So that’s all I’m looking forward to; not thinking way too much about whether I’ll be picked or where I’ll be picked in the IPL. I’m just trying to showcase my talent wherever I’m given the chance.
What are some of your main cricketing goals?
As an Indian citizen and cricketer, my ultimate goal is to represent my country. Not just represent, but dominate on the international level. That’s the eventual goal but I try to complete smaller goals. I’ve heard winning Ranji twice in a row is quite difficult because every team wants to beat the defending champions. So, I want to be that guy who can put my team in a position to qualify easily and then get the trophy in back-to-back seasons. That’s my sole motivation right now. And later once SMA Trophy starts, there’s the other goal of showcasing my talent and how useful I can be in the T20 format too.
Any parting words for our readers?
When you think of playing for India or even the IPL, there’s a lot of hard work that needs to be put in. People feel it might be as easy as coming each day, practicing for 2 hours, and getting done with things. No, you have to dedicate yourself to cricket and I’ve seen a lot of teammates put in the hard work and succeed at the highest level. Perfect practice and giving good hours to cricket is essential, for those looking to build careers in the game.
Rapid fire with Shams Mulani🔥🔥
- Favourite all-time cricketer? Alastair Cook
- Favourite teammate? Sarfaraz Khan
- Favourite ground to play at? Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
- Any pre-match rituals / superstitions? None really, just go into each game with my gut feeling.
- One area of your game you’d like to improve? I want to be more efficient in bowling, batting, and fielding. Want to be called a genuine all-rounder like Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, etc.
It was a true pleasure speaking to Shams Mulani, who is currently managed by Fairplay Sports, one of India’s largest athlete management company. We wish Shams the best of luck with his future cricketing career, which hopefully includes a hefty new IPL contract, and then fulfilling his ultimate goal of playing 50 Test matches for India.
– Dwayne Fernandes, Read Scoops
(Twitter – @dwayneeeboy, Instagram – @dwayneeeboy)
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