Mumbai’s defeat against J&K highlights perils of aggressive batting; modern batters don't trust defense: Sunil Gavaskar

A star-studded Mumbai were comprehensively defeated by Jammu & Kashmir in the recently-concluded Group A clash in the 2024-25 edition of the Ranji Trophy. Despite the trio of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Shreyas Iyer bolstering the hosts, they fell short at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai. The loss was Mumbai's first of the season.

Formet Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar, was critical of the Mumbai batting lineup. He accused them of not respecting deliveries enough in a bid to keep up the run-scoring rate at all times.  

"The dismissal of Mumbai’s Test batters once again brought to the fore the perils of the all-out aggressive mode of batting that is nowadays thought of as being central to run-making. It can work on flat pitches, but on pitches where the ball is doing something, there has to be a technique good enough to keep out the good delivery," stated Gavaskar in his column for Sportstar.

"More crucially, there has to be the temperament to accept that a bowler can bowl the occasional maiden over, and a few dot balls don’t warrant a big risky shot in response. The modern batter doesn’t seem to trust his defensive technique, consumed as he is by the thrill of hitting sixes," he added.

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer, once denied central contract due to non-participation in domestics, opts out of Mumbai's Ranji game

Rushes of blood caused some silly-looking dismissals: Gavaskar

Gavaskar further highlighted the similarities between Mumbai's batting approach and that of India during the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

"There are more chances of a dismissal while looking to play in a manner that one is not used to, as was seen in the recent Sydney Test [between India and Australia] when rushes of blood caused some silly-looking dismissals. A bit of common sense and patience, rather than a fatalistic approach, could have gotten another 50 runs, and that could well have altered the result of the match and the series," he opined.

As far as the ongoing season of India's domestic red-ball competition is concerned, Mumbai will take on Meghalaya as part of their final group-stage fixture. Currently placed on third position, they will need an outright victory to get them through to the knockouts.