Press Trust of India
Pune, Feb 24: Comeback man Dhawal Kulkarni (4/30) wreaked havoc with the new ball to hand Mumbai the initial edge in their quest for 41st Ranji Trophy title by reducing Saurashtra to 192 for eight in the first innings on the opening day of the summit clash, here Wednesday.
Back in the side after missing the semifinal due to a groin strain, Kulkarni utilised the green track on offer to perfection after Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare won the toss and invited Saurashtra to bat.
Kulkarni was spot on with his line and length, and managed to cut through Saurashtra top-order which included the important wickets of opener Avi Barot (14), Cheteshwar Pujara (4), Arpit Vasavada (77) and skipper Jaydev Shah (13)
Kulkarni was ably supported by his new ball partner Shardul Thakur (2/59) while Abhishek Nayar (1/42) and Balwinder Sandhu (1/41) chipped in at crucial junctures.
Had it not been for Vasavada and debutant Prerak Mankad (55 batting, 119b, 5×4), it could have been an embarrassing scorecard for Saurashtra at the end of the day’s play. The two put on 84 runs for the eighth wicket to give a semblance of respectability to the Saurashtra total.
However, Vasavada was the last wicket to fall when he became Kulkarni’s fourth victim of the day.