Mumbai will be desperate to get hosts out early and put some runs, if they want to be in the race of qualification.
MUMBAI’S hopes of qualifying for the knock out stage of Ranji Trophy is slipping away as Saurashtra are just six runs behind at end of the second day, with four wickets intact, to take first-innings lead. After their previous game against Himachal Pradesh was washed out due to rain, Mumbai had needed an outright win against Saurashtra to stay alive in the competition. They now need to bowl out Saurashtra, bat at a rapid pace, and then bowl out Saurashtra in the second dig to remain in the hunt – they have just two days to do it, though.
Mumbai were bundled out for 262 before Sheldon Jackson (85) led Saurashtra’s response with a 82-run stand for fourth wicket with Arpit Vasavada. Saurashtra needed just 19 balls to take the last two Mumbai wickets on the morning.
Mumbai’s bowlers did start promisingly, as the left-arm medium-pacer Royston Dias induced the opener Snell Patel to edge behind to the wicketkeeper Aditya Tare. On the pitch where the ball kept low occasionally, Mumbai once again banked on their spinners to do the job. The offspinner Shashank Attarde, who did well in the recent matches, got the other opener Harvik Desai, caught and bowled. Two overs later, Attarde lured Divyaraj Chauhan into a drive but the ball went through to bowl him.
However, in this crunch situation Jackson and Arpit Vasavada, who is captaining them this game, thwarted the Mumbai spinners resolutely. Mumbai changed tack, and attacked with the medium-pacers. Dias did have Jackson edging but the ball plummeted through the gap between the wicketkeeper and first slip.
The pair added 82 runs before Dias got the crucial breakthrough when he trapped Vasavada lbw. The medium-pacer Tushar Deshpande had Prerak Mankad caught behind as Mumbai pressed desperately for a comeback. Jackson, who has earned a reputation of playing quality knocks, hit 10 fours and a six but missed out chance to score a century. He fell to Vinayak Bhoir, edging behind for 85. At stumps, Saurashtra were 257 for 6, one stroke away from first-innings lead with their all-rounder Chirag Jani unbeaten on 45. Mumbai will be desperate to get hosts out early and put some runs, if they want to be in the race of qualification.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 262 (Shams Mulani 60) vs Saurashtra 257 for 6 (Harvik Desai 33, Sheldon Jackon 85, A Vasavada 46, Chirag Jani 45 not out; R Dias 2 for 40, S Attarde 2 /56).