To say Railways were slow starters in their Ranji Trophy campaign this year would be an understatement. The 2002 Ranji champions put up their first points on the board only in the sixth round, when they beat Andhra Pradesh by 133 runs.
But with two consecutive victories, and eight points later, they sneaked into the last four and turned it around from there on to eventually win the 2004 title after beating Punjab at Mohali on the first innings lead.
"Honestly speaking, the way we started I was only hoping to avoid relegation this season," said Railways captain Sanjay Bangar in Mumbai on Friday, after his team beat Delhi by four wickets in the first round of the Ranji one-day competition.
"We had some really bad games to start with but then we got full points from the last two games. Some of the other teams were unlucky to lose out in the final round. So, I think, we were really lucky to pull our weight through initially but it all fell in place in the semi-finals and the final."
The maiden Ranji triumph, in 2002, was more convincing as Railways avenged their loss to Baroda the previous year. In the 2001 final between the two teams, in Baroda, Zaheer Khan's five-wicket haul in the second innings and some poor umpiring saw the hosts take the crown.
"You cannot obviously compare the two wins. We had done well throughout that season and its always special entering that new zone. None of us had known what it is to win the Ranji title before that. But this year was also satisfying as we fought our way through," said Bangar.
Bangar also felt that having the core of team for almost five years helped the side develop into a tight unit.
"It helps a lot when you have stuck through the highs and lows with each other. Players like J P Yadav, Yere Goud and Kulamani Parida had a good season. Also the fact that lot of us had helped Central Zone to win the Duleep Trophy meant that we were in a positive frame of mind.
"Personally, I had a poor run in the beginning and it is really satisfying that my return to form coincided with Railways starting to emerge in the tournament."
The Indian all-rounder said batting, especially in the middle-order, needs a lot of improvement.
"Just because we have won the title doesn't mean there is no scope for improvement. We are looking for youngsters to replace this core and take over the mantle. It has to be done soon so that the team can maintain its performance."
Railways maintaining their standard is important to India's domestic cricket too. Though there are 27 teams on show, Mumbai's dominance is disturbing. Even though the 36-time champions did not win the competition this year, the signs were ominous.
Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Railways and Karnataka, to an extent, are the only teams who can make Mumbai sweat, at least on paper. And if the Ranji Trophy has to stick to the last shreds of the game's popularity in the country, that set of teams should grow not shrink.
