In their must win game at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai were 342/5 at stumps on Day 1 after electing to bat against table-toppers Karnataka.
While Aditya Tare had held the innings together for the better part of the morning session with a determined 72, Siddhesh Lad (94*) and Nikhil Patil (85*) salvaged the innings with an unbroken 175-run partnership. Coming together at 167/5, the pair had taken Mumbai to a respectable position at the end of day’s play.
In the last game of the league phase, the hosts who need a win to give themselves an opportunity to qualify for the knock-outs got off to a poor start in the morning (Besides the outcome of their own game, results of the other league games in the group will have a bearing on Mumbai qualifying for the next phase). Mumbai lost Shrideep Mangela to Vinay Kumar in the first over of the day and were left 4/1. The left-handed opener departed edging the Karnataka captain to Robin Uthappa in the first slip.
Shreyas Iyer then joined captain Tare in the middle but was back in the pavilion 49 runs later. After getting off to a shaky start, Mumbai’s top run-getter so far this season poked at a Vinay Kumar delivery after contributing 20 runs and was caught by CM Gautam behind the wickets.
Back in the side after missing a few games due to injury, Abhishek Nayar then joined Tare who had held-up one end. The Mumbai skipper who had opened his account with a boundary looked in good nick as he punched the ball to the ropes and found the gaps to keep the scoreboard moving. However, his gutsy knock was ended before lunch with the side on 128/3. While on 72, Tare was caught by R Samarath near point while looking to cut Shreyas Gopal.
Suryakumar Yadav who then joined Nayar at the crease helped take the home team to lunch at 137/3. The pair continued to strive at the crease until their budding partnership was ended for 30. Suryakumar Yadav’s watchful 48-ball stay was ended by Udit Patel for 19. Looking to sweep Patel the batsman was trapped lbw bringing Siddhesh Lad to the middle.
But before the fifth-wicket partnership could take shape Nayar’s stoic resistance too was ended by Patel. The senior all-rounder departed handing a simple catch to short cover leaving the side on 167/5.
And ten runs later, Lad received a reprieve on 13 as Manish Pandey standing wide of first slip missed a tough chance to claim the sixth Mumbai wicket after the batsman nicked a Vinay Kumar delivery. The middle-order bat, continued to work to carry the innings forward with Nikhil Patil. As the pair toiled to forge a partnership they took the side past the 200-run mark and through to tea at 230/5.
Continuing to battle it out in the middle, Lad who has been making useful contributions lower down the order in the season reached his fifty soon after tea. The pair negotiated the Karnataka attack to shape the partnership and keep the flow of runs going.
Brief score
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).
