Nayari always knows best

For as beautiful as the ground at Mumbai's BKC is, it rarely witnesses a crowd. Surely not when a Ranji Trophy match is on. But for a change, Mumbai's last league encounter against Tripura - a must-win game - was set to have that, coming with posters and banners to cheer for their friend. 99 first-class games down, it was set to be a momentous occasion for Abhishek Nayar.

All seemed good until three days before the game when Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of MCA's selection committee, announced that Nayar was dropped, citing 'poor form'.

There is a reason why they say first love is special. You believe it's always going to be there and you plan for a lifetime. But when it leaves you, it leaves with a stinging blow of harsh realities... or maybe, lies.

There were various theories that were floated around following Nayar's axing. You can argue against them all but with no conclusive evidence. Nayar, too, six months ago was evidently bitter, a bit sour too, with the turn of events. His 'I don't care' and 'it doesn't matter' line of reaction was backed by little truth.

Today, however, he is at peace. And extremely chuffed too. Closing in on 35, he is excited by the prospect that lies in front of him, something that he is enjoying at the moment - the opportunity to mentor a new set of players. He has joined Puducherry.

"After the point that I decided that I wasn't going to play for Mumbai, I wanted to go to a state where I knew I wasn't going to take up someone's position. I had a few discussions with a couple of states but I kept thinking that if I go to those states, there will be someone aspiring to play for India. If I go there and stake a claim on someone's position, it is not the right thing to do," Nayar told Cricbuzz.

"I thought (Puducherry) it's a good place to structure a new team, with players who haven't played competitive cricket. I thought I could add a little more value to that than go to a state that has been doing that for a lot of years."

"Also, I was in talks with Damodaran for a while. And I liked his intention towards cricket, he is quite passionate about it. It's best to go to a place where the thought process is a lot similar to mine, at least in terms of the development of the game there. It's still early days. I need to go there, spend some time, understand the whole system."

Another reason that prompted him to move to Puducherry was the support staff that had been assembled. With the presence of Avishkar Salvi (head coach) and Omkar Khanvilkar (assistant coach) in the senior setup, and Pravin Tambe in the under-23 side, it is a mini Mumbai reunion of sorts down south. He took nearly two months to consider the offer presented by Puducherry before eventually accepting it. Apart from discussions with his close friends and family, the confirmation of the support staff proved a key factor in his eventual decision.

"The support staff was a big USP," he admits. "You know them, you have played with these guys, you know they are good honest human beings and want the betterment of the game. So I know I'm going to enjoy playing there because of the kind of support staff they have."

He is excited now, he is set to see the first bunch of Puducherry cricketers on Wednesday. 60 players who have been selected from the region will play selection games. He is waiting to see who his future teammates are going to be. He has gone in with the role of a player-mentor, rejecting the proposal of captaining the side.

"I was very clear if I wasn't going to play 4-5 years for a state, being a captain doesn't make any sense. What happens is that you keep making decisions, the teams gets used to you making the calls. And the moment you leave, you leave the team exactly where they started off. So it's difficult to groom someone when you're the captain because you are taking the calls.

"So my whole plan was to make someone else the captain, who is going to be there for the next 7-8 years, who is 25-26 right now. I'll always be on the ground. So for me, helping and guiding them becomes easy.

"When he learns to make those decisions is when he will grow as a cricketer. And that will happen only when he is making those calls and not me. I will give him my suggestions but I would want him to make the tough calls. My whole agenda is that when I leave, I leave him good enough to make calls, understand situations, understand pitches, understand conditions, understand what a team requires. That's when I've done my job well."

With all that he stands to shoulder, he also has the opportunity to continue his first-class career, and reach the mark of 100 games. And all that, as he admitted, he will get to do without being under the pressure of having to win the Ranji Trophy for a change.

For Mumbai, he was a legend, unarguably their finest all-rounder in this millennium. A stellar record, but yet not adequate enough to describe his contribution. Not surprisingly, despite a couple of extraordinary seasons - 2012-13 (966 runs @ 96.60 and 19 wickets) and 2016-17, where his several rearguard acts powered Mumbai to the final and earned him the 'crisis man' tag, it is the 2015-16 season which has been the most memorable for him.

After a below-par show in the season before that, Mumbai had assembled a young squad with a new leader. Nayar, who had become the seniormost member of that side, was given the additional responsibility by coach Chandrakant Pandit to mentor the players, apart from looking after his own performance. The results of that was terrific.

"At that point of time, there weren't many people who gave us a chance because we were a young side and I was the seniormost player in the team," he says. "I have won four other Ranji titles being a junior or not the most senior player. But going into that Ranji season, being the senior, Addo (Aditya Tare) in his first year as captain, helping the team, mentoring the team, creating routines was a big accomplishment for me. I cherish that year the most."

"The other four titles are important but if I was to leave back and see 'boss, when did I make a difference to the team?', I think that year I made a lot of difference. Every other year, I performed well and the team did well. I just did my job as a professional and had the comfort of other senior players. But that year, I did a little more. I went that extra mile, Chandu Sir and Rege Sir gave me the freedom. They gave me the credibility that I can do more than just being a player..

By 2016, beyond just winning the trophy, he had also become the go-to man for several players in the side. Or in fancier terms, as they like to call - a mentor. Siddhesh Lad, Shardul Thakur, Shreyas Iyer, and several others reached out to him for advice on their cricket, their life, and sometimes even their social media posting.

In jest, as much in truth, the saying in the dressing room goes: 'Nayari always knows best.'

Over the next couple of years, a few other younger players too looked up to him for advice, including the likes of Akash Parkar and Shivam Dubey, who are looked on as the future all-rounders of the team. And he believes they are among the good talents that stands to serve Mumbai cricket in the near future.

The pain of the axing has healed, rather quickly. Time is the anti-septic. And as he says, 'opportunities with KKR and Star Sports' too. "I now work with a lot more people now than just Dinesh or Shreyas. I got to work with a lot of younger kids. Now I've found happiness and reached a place where I can say that the 99 games that I played for Mumbai, I cherish. I don't leave Mumbai with regrets now, not as someone who is not happy. I leave a happy man. I leave thinking that I did everything I could for the team."

"I feel there are 4-5 very good all-rounders in Mumbai right now who are going to fight for that one spot that I was having for a really long time. And I'm really happy about that. I have really high regard for all of them and I wish them all the luck. I'm sure these guys will hold up and keep that Lion roaring."

While the affair with Mumbai lasted, he scored 4847 runs, took 154 wickets, won five Ranji Trophy titles and left behind a massive pair of faded boots. His first love, no matter how special, is dead. He has turned over a new leaf and a fresh chapter is set to begin...

By the way, what do they say about second love?