Chasing 480 runs after bowling Mumbai out for 182 in their second outing of the Irani Cup game, Rest of India XI were 100 for one at stumps on Day 4. They now need 380 runs to win on the last day.
Siddhesh Lad stood tall for Mumbai as wickets fell at regular intervals in the second innings on the fourth day at the Cricket Club of India and ensured Mumbai remained in a commanding position even as they were skittled out 51.2 overs before tea. After securing a 297-run first innings lead, the Aditya Tare-led team were looking to build on it before bowling again and had already lost Herwadkar at the stroke of stumps on third day.
While wickets continued to fall from the sixth ball of the day, the middle-order batsman scored a patient 109-ball 60 to help set the opposition a stiff target. The knock was the youngster’s third successive vital half-century that had helped boost the team total.
Shreyas Iyer was the first to depart, flicking Jaydev Unadkat to midwicket and walk back for naught. And while Suryakumar Yadav and Jay Bista who are in sublime touch, looked to revive the innings, the partnership ended with the opener being adjudged caught behind off the left-arm pacer. A while later, a Krishna Das delivery took the edge off Aditya Tare’s bat through to the wicketkeeper reducing Mumbai to 62 for four.
Suryakumar, who was batting well at the other end, struck crisp boundaries; some straight down the ground while Lad dug his heels in at the other end. However, the blossoming partnership ended with Jayant Yadav accounting for the No. 4 batsman for 49. As Suryakumar looked to sweep the spinner, the ball took the toe end of the bat and bounced off the shoe through to the slips where substitute Ian Chauhan took a low catch.
Lad, who has on quite a few occasions held the Mumbai innings together since last season, once again played a determined knock to strengthen the team’s position. While he stoically stood at one end, the team lost Abhishek Nayar and Dhawal Kulkarni and were 164 for seven.
While Unadkat forced an edge from Nayar through to the wicketkeeper with an incoming delivery, Jayant who was extracting turn and bounce, bowled Kulkarni for two. Meanwhile, Lad reached his second half-century of the game by guiding the offspinner past slips for four. But while on 60, he was done in by the bounce and was caught by short leg, giving the offspinner his second four-wicket haul of the match.
Shardul Thakur, who then made his way to the middle, hit a couple of quick boundaries before a diving one-handed catch by Jayant at first slip sent him back. Stuart Binny who accounted for the wicket, claimed Iqbal Abdullah in his next to bowl Mumbai out for 182 just a little before Tea.
Mumbai would then have had their first breakthrough just before tea had Thakur been able hold on to a return catch from KS Bharat in his follow through. With the opener surviving on six, ROI went to tea at nine without loss.
The ROI openers continued to chip away at the Mumbai bowling in the final session until Abdullah disrupted Bharat’s stumps with a tossed up delivery to end the stand for 66. Faiz Fazal then carried on to take the team to stumps with Sudip Chatterjee.
Brief scores:
Day 4 – Mumbai 2nd inn 182/10 in 51.2 overs (S Lad 60, S Yadav 49, J Yadav 4/93, J Unadkat 3/16); ROI XI 2nd inn 100/1 in 37 overs (KS Bharat 42, F Fazal 41, I Abdullah 1/19) Need 380 runs to win
Day 3 – ROI XI 306/9 in 99.5 overs (K Nair 94, J Unadkat 48, A Nayar 3/35, J Bista 2/52); Mumbai 2nd inn 2/1 in 0.4 overs (J Bista 1*, J Unadkat 1/2)
Day 2 – Mumbai 1st inn 603/10 in158.2 overs (SK Yadav 156, S Lad 66, A Tare 65, J Yadav 4/132, J Unadkat 2/128); ROI XI 1st inn 36/1 in 16 overs (F Fazal 18*, A Nayar 1/4)
Day 1 - Mumbai 1st inn 386/3 in 83 overs (J Bista 104, A Herwadkar 90, SK Yadav 88*, S Binny 1/35)
