Bhubaneshwar: Seventeen wickets fell on day two as Mumbai took command in their Ranji Trophy Group C encounter against Orissa at the KIIT Stadium here, Thursday.
Mumbai who resumed at 264 for six, were bowled out for 289. But the hosts did not fare any better and could only manage 145 in their first essay thereby conceding a lead of 144 runs to the visitors. In their second innings, Mumbai were 58 for three at stumps – an overall lead of 202 runs with seven wickets in hand and two days remaining. No doubt, they are on the cusp of an outright win.
Mumbai could only manage to add 25 more runs to their overnight total as Basant Mohanty (4/51) and Suryakant Pradhan (2/82) polished off the tail. But then what followed was sheer horror for the hosts. In no time they were 0/2 and 2/4 as Dhawal Kulkarni (2/38) and Shardul Thakur (2/25) wreaked havoc on a pitch that aided them a bit.
Sandeep Patnaik (0), Natraj Behera (0), Subhransu Senapati (0) did not disturb the scorers while skipper Govind Poddar could only manage a couple of runs. Thakur was on a hat-trick dismissing Natraj and Subhransu off successive deliveries. However, debutant Shantanu Mishra (36, 95b, 6×4) denied the Mumbai pacer.
Shantanu and Biplab Samantray (72 n o, 129b, 10×4) repaired the damage with a 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket. But once Shantanu fell to left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil (3/26), Mumbai bowlers ran through the lower order to dismiss Orissa for 145 in 50.5 overs. Abhishek Nayar (3/27) also scalped three wickets.
In the second essay Prithvi Shaw (46, 45b, 7×4) again batted well. Fellow opener Akhil Herwadkar (3, 15b) along with Ajinkya Rahane fell cheaply.
Biplab still optimistic about Orissa’s chances
In spite of his side staring down the barrel against Mumbai in their Ranji encounter, top-scorer in Orissa’s innings Biplab Samantray showed a lot of optimism at stumps on day two, here Thursday.
“The match, I would say is still even and wide open. It can swing either way. With the ball swinging, Friday’s first hour will be crucial. The ball is swinging and it will be pretty hard to bat in the morning session. If we can restrict their lead to around 300, then we certainly are in the game,” Biplab told reporters at the KIIT Stadium.
Biplab dismissed the pathetic batting display by his teammates ‘as a bad day in office’. He was however all praise for debutant Shantanu Mishra. “He came to bat in a crucial time and handled pressure very well. He showed maturity beyond his years and helped me build up my innings. If he continues with this kind of mindset then he has a bright future ahead,” Biplab pointed out.
Biplab so far has been in good form with the bat and has got three consecutive half centuries. But he is not satisfied. “Individual performances don’t matter when the team fail. I will be happy if my team emerge victorious in this game and I hope to contribute to the team cause again in the second innings,” he signed off.
Brief scores: Mumbai 289 (Basant Mohanty 4/51) and 58/3 (Prithvi Shaw 46; Deepak Behera 1/6, Basant Mohanty 1/18); Orissa 145 (Biplab Samantray 72 n o, Vijay Gohli 3/26, Abhishek Nayar 3/27). Match to continue.
Other Group C matches
(At Vadodara): Baroda 521 (Atit Sheth 95 n o, Abhijit Karambelkar 86, Mitesh Patel 76; Ajoy Sarkar 3/88); Tripura 63/1 (Samrat Singha 41).
(At Vizianagaram): Madhya Pradesh 321 (Harpreet Singh 88, Subham Sharma 60; Pritwi Raj 4/56); Andhra Pradesh 177/5 (Hanuma Vihari 77, B Sumanth 57; Mihir Hirwani 2/33).
All matches to continue Friday.
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