Many eyebrows were raised when captain Ajit Agarkar, on the eve of the match, said that Mumbai may choose to play two left-arm spinners, Iqbal Abdulla and Ankeet Chavan, after veteren Ramesh Powar was ruled out owing to a calf strain. But the decision to go in with two left-arm spinners and three seamers worked wonders for Mumbai as Chavan (3-24) played a crucial role in Mumbai's Vijay Hazare Trophy win over Baroda at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday.

With Iqbal Abdulla already in the reckoning, thanks to his exploits in the shortest format for Kolkata Knight Riders, now it's the turn of Ankeet Chavan to rise to prominence. The 26-year-old left-arm spinner has shown all signs of becoming handy for 39 times Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in years to come. The fact that he scored his maiden century against Madhya Pradesh earlier this year is a testimony of his usefulness as a batsman.

Both being all-rounders, each tries to overshadow the other in every opportunity, but still there's no animosity among the youngsters. "The competition among us is very healthy but we both try to do well and stay in the team though we share a very good rapport even outside the field," Chavan told MiD DAY after the match yesterday.

Chavan was over the moon for getting the wicket of dangerman Yusuf Pathan. "To me, Pathan's wicket was the most satisfying and important considering the state of match at that time. Powerplay was about to be applied and Yusuf being a big-hitter could have changed the complexion of the game in Powerplay. I was really happy to have deceived him with the spin. It will also boost my confidence in future," he said.

With two kukaburra balls being used from either end actually helped the youngster on a slow wicket without much turn. "The wicket was on the slower side and it wasn't turning much. But the ball was still hard and so was the seam. It was easier for me grip the ball and get whatever turn possible," Chavan felt.