Mumbai secured three points with a narrow first innings lead against Karnataka in the all-important last game of the league phase and at stumps on Day 3 were still in the reckoning for a place in the knock-outs. (The result of the other matches in Group A will have a bearing on Mumbai reaching the quarter-finals.) After the end of the fourth wicket stand for 136, the Vinay Kumar-led side lost wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out for 415. Opener R Samarth who had kept the innings on course was sent back for 180 by Harmeet Singh early in the last session triggering a collapse. With six wickets, the spinner was instrumental in the hosts seizing a 21-run lead to keep the side in the race for a berth in the next phase. At the end of day’s play Mumbai were leading by 40 runs with all wickets intact.
Opening the innings for Mumbai, Shrideep Mangela (9*) and captain Aditya Tare (9*) had taken the side to 19 when play ended on Sunday evening.
Earlier, resuming on the overnight score of 85, Samarth anchored the Karnataka innings with panache for the better part of the day. Having got off to an edgy start on the second day, the youngster settled into the role and capitalised on the chance afforded to him earlier in the innings as he carried the visitors’ innings forward. Manish Pandey who was yet to open his account when he resumed his innings in the morning, scored five runs before handing a return catch to Harmeet Singh.
But, Shishir Bhavane who replaced him in the middle forged a solid partnership with the opener to push Mumbai on the back-foot. Samarth reached his maiden first-class hundred as the pair cruised forward. At the other end, Bhavane scoring at a brisk pace reached his half-century with a boundary off 63 balls as they seized the momentum for Karnataka. The new-ball too didn’t bring much relief to the hosts as BS Sandhu and Shardul Thakur toiled to end the partnership.
However, Bhavane slowed down after reaching his maiden fifty and had added only five runs to his tally off 44 balls until lunch. Nevertheless the pair took Karnataka to Lunch at 293/3. Having added 118 runs in the morning, the visitors were trailing by 143 runs at the end of first session.
In the second over after tea, the side reached the 300-run mark as they continued to coast forward and looked well on course to capture a first innings lead. Growing in confidence, Samarth brought up his 150. But the flourishing partnership was halted by Sandhu. Forcing an edge from Bhavane through to the wicketkeeper, he ended the fourth wicket stand for 136.
With the side comfortably poised on 317/4, Karnataka’s highest run-getter of the season, Shreyas Gopal took guard opposite Samarth as the visitors looked to close in on Mumbai’s first innings score.
While the batsmen trudged on, the bowlers strove to build pressure. 20 runs later Mumbai got their third wicket of the day as Shreyas swept Akshay Girap and was caught at short backward square-leg by Abhishek Nayar. The fielder jumped to pluck out a single-handed catch to send back the middle-order batsman for 16.
CM Gautam who then came out to the middle found the gaps with ease and looked in flow as he timed a boundary to the third-man. But at the stroke of tea he edged Harmeet Singh to Suryakumar Yadav in the slips and returned for nine. With three wickets for 65 runs in the second session Mumbai had kept their chances of securing a first innings lead alive.
Early in the last session of the day, Harmeet claimed Samarth to give the hosts an important breakthrough in an effort to take a first innings lead. The ball nicked past the top of the bat to Yadav at first slip. And with the defending champions still 55 runs short of Mumbai’s first inning score, Abhimanyu Mithun joined Vinay Kumar in the middle. However, Harmeet had the Karnataka captain stumped for 16 to claim his fifth wicket and leave the opposition on 390/8 and keep his side in the fray.
An over later Mumbai missed an opportunity to claim their ninth wicket as Shreyas Iyer dropped Udit Patel off Shardul Thakur at second slip. But the missed chance didn’t cost the hosts much as the batsman was out lbw to Harmeet for eight couple of deliveries later. Thakur then took the edge off Sreenath Aravind’s bat through to the wicketkeeper to bowl Mumbai to a nerve wracking first innings lead.
Brief scores
End of Day 1: Mumbai 1st inn 342/5 in 90 overs (S Lad 94*, Nikhil Patil 85*, A Tare 72, Vinay Kumar 2/65, U Patel 2/68)
End of Day 2: Mumbai 1st inn 436 all out in 117.1 overs (S Lad 106, N Patel 106, Vinay Kumar 4/88, U Patel 3/96); Karnataka 1st inn 175/2 in 60 overs (R Samarth 85*, R Uthappa 49, A Girap 1/53, Harmeet Singh 1/63)
End of Day 3: Karnataka 1st inn 415 all out in 139.4 overs (R Samarath 180, S Bhavane 62, H Singh 6/139); Mumbai 2nd inn 19/0 in 8 overs (S Mangela 9*, A Tare 9*)
