MUMBAI: As they walked back to the pavilion after stalling the
Vidarbha
bowlers for three hours and 232 balls during possibly a title-deciding, unbeaten 107-run partnership for the third wicket, Mumbai captain
Ajinkya Rahane
(58 not out, 109b, 4x4, 1x6), who finally managed to shake off his horrible run, and young gun
Musheer Khan
(51 not out, 109b, 4x4, 1x6) received a warm applause from batting legend Sunil Gavaskar and former India women’s team captain Diana Edulji.
Watching the
Ranji Trophy final
from the President’s Box at the
Wankhede Stadium
, the doyens of the Mumbai and Indian cricket were naturally pleased with the typically ‘khadoos’ (dogged) attitude the duo displayed in the middle while taking Mumbai to a position where they have one hand on the coveted trophy now. Sharing the highest stand for Mumbai for the third wicket this season, the pair batted out almost two sessions after the hosts had slumped to 34 for two after taking a 119-run lead. Vidarbha were skittled out for just 105 in the morning.
Resuming at 31 for three, Vidarbha who paid the price for completely going into their shell, suffered a stunning collapse, losing seven wickets for 74 runs in 195 balls to be shot out for their lowest score this season. All that their innings lasted for was 45.3 overs. Having smelt blood with a couple of wickets on Day 1 evening, veteran pacer
Dhawal Kulkarni
, playing the last First-Class match of his career, gave Mumbai the opening breakthrough when he had Atharva Taide (23) nicking an away-going ball to ‘keeper Hardik Tamore.
It was then the turn of Mumbai’s ace spinners, Shams Mulani (3-32) and Tanush Kotian (3-7) to run through Vidarbha’s batting. Mulani trapped nightwatchman Aditya Thakare (19) lbw, before scalping Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar (5, caught behind) and Harsh Dubey (1, caught at short leg). Kotian had Ranji semifinal centurion Yash Rathod (27) chopping one onto his stumps, before he cleaned up the tail.
Even after they had been bowled out cheaply, Vidarbha were sniffling a comeback after pacer
Yash Thakur
unleashed a ‘jaffa,’ bowling Prithvi Shaw (11) through the ‘gate,’ and leftarm spinner Harsh Dubey had Bhupen Lalwani (18) caught brilliantly at short mid-wicket by substitute Mohit Kale.
For the initial period, the Mumbai dressing room suffered some anxious moments as both Rahane and Musheer were beaten repeatedly and survived a few close calls. Having struggled badly throughout this Ranji season, Rahane looked shaky while Musheer, who has a habit of charging down the wicket even to the pacers, too didn’t appear convincing. However, the duo somehow dug in, adding just 20 runs in their first 100 balls in a session that saw just 52 runs being scored in 25 overs.
The pair batted more freely post tea, as Rahane rediscovered his artistic strokeplay, collecting fours through a straight drive, a flick through mid-wicket, a pull off Yash Thakur and then a cover drive off
Umesh Yadav
that brought up his 88-ball fifty.
BRIEF SCORES: Mumbai 224 & 141/2 (A Rahane 58 batting, M Khan 51 batting; Y Thakur 1/25) lead Vidarbha 105 all out (Y Rathod 27; D Kulkarni 3/15, S Mulani 3/32, T Kotian 3/7) by 260 runs.
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