Shashwat Rawat notched up his third hundred of the season. Captain Vishnu Solanki woke up from his slumber with the willow with a sturdy century. And the duo sent shivers in the Mumbai camp with a 174-run partnership.
However, Shams Mulani’s marathon spell and Tushar Deshpande’s crucial strikes helped Mumbai earn the vital first-innings lead against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal. However, Baroda’s spirited show — it conceded a 36-run lead and then reduced Mumbai to 21 for one at stumps on day three — has left an enticing last two days’ play in prospect at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy ground.
Rawat and Solanki resumed their overnight 62-run association and hardly looked in trouble as the pitch got slower and the bowlers let the duo rotate strike easily. Soon after Rawat flicked Mulani for a single and raised his bat, he was dropped by ’keeper Tamore in Musheer Khan’s first over. It resulted in Mumbai being in a spot of bother at lunch, with Baroda 233 for two.
In the third over after the break, Deshpande beat Rawat with raw pace and the nick was sharply taken by Shaw in the slips. While Shaw rushed back to the dressing room to nurse a broken nail, Mulani took over, bowling with the new ball that was opted in the 82nd over.
He got rid of Shivalik Sharma (holed out at deep mid-wicket) and Mitesh Patel (straight ball) off successive deliveries to give Mumbai the edge.
Despite losing Ninad Rathva (caught in the slips off offie Kotian) and Pithiya (lbw off Mulani), captain Solanki was going strong, completing his hundred with a glorious cover drive off Kotian.
Musheer broke the partnership claiming Limbani’s wicket, with the target less than 40 runs away. Deshpande then enticed Solanki into an edge. A short-ball followed by a full-length ball did the trick as Baroda lost the last three wickets for a solitary run.
The scores:
Mumbai — 1st innings: 384.
Baroda — 1st innings: Jyotsnil Singh c Lalwani b Mulani 32, Priyanshu Moliya b Shardul 1, Shashwat Rawat c Shaw b Deshpande 124, Vishnu Solanki c Tamore b Deshpande 136, Shivalik Sharma c Kotian b Mulani 7, Mitesh Patel b Mulani 0, Ninad Rathva c Rahane b Kotian 18, Mahesh Pithiya lbw b Mulani 0, Raj Limbani c Rahane b Musheer 15, Bhargav Bhatt c Shedge b Kotian 0, Lukman Meriwala (not out) 0; Extras (b-3, lb-9, w-1, nb-2): 15; Total (in 110.3 overs): 348.
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-65, 3-239, 4-270, 5-270, 6-301, 7-302, 8-347, 9-348.
Mumbai bowling: Avasthi 8-0-45-0, Shardul 15-1-48-1, Deshpande 18-2-52-2, Mulani 38-3-121-4, Kotian 19.3-2-49-2, Musheer 12-4-21-1.
Mumbai — 2nd innings: Hardik Tamore (batting) 12, Bhupen Lalwani c Bhatt b Rathva 6, Mohit Avasthi (batting) 3; Total (for one wkt. in 12 overs): 21.
Fall of wicket: 1-18.
Baroda bowling: Meriwala 3-0-6-0, Bhatt 6-1-12-1, Limbani 1-0-3-0, Rathva 2-2-0-0.
