Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer and coach Praveen Amre are on a roll. First, the pair helped their team bag the 38th Ranji Trophy title and then they guided West Zone to their 17th Duleep Trophy title last month.

Now, the duo are geared up for the All India Vijay Hazare Trophy knock-out tournament from February 28, where Mumbai will face the winners of the first preliminary quarterfinal between Orissa and Tamil Nadu.

It was a bumpy ride for the Ranji champs to make the knockout rounds as they had a tough time in the zonal stage, especially after they lost their first two ties to Baroda and Gujarat. "We struggled to win the first two games. We lost out in the death overs. Things don't always work out even if you are a champion side," coach Praveen Amre told DNA.

Amre was happy with the way his team bounced back after losing the first two ties. "It was difficult for us to bounce back but we have gone through this before in 2006 where we lost the first three Ranji matches but shot back by winning the trophy."

Amre applauded the way Wasim led his team from the longer version to the one day format. "It is different leading in the four day games as you have time to plan but here one has to be spontaneous and the way Wasim handled the pressure situation is laudable," he said. 

"We are confident that we can win the trophy but it is going to be a tough task and we have to play more as a team," said Amre.

Taus Rizvi/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication