INDORE: The Mumbai camp heaved a sigh of relief the moment
Sufiyan Shaikh
smashed back-to-back boundaries through covers off Ankit Sharma towards the fag end of Day Three.
The first boundary brought Mumbai within touching distance of Madhya Pradesh's first innings score of 409. The second helped the 41-time champs to take the first innings lead and ensure they would return home with at least three points from their Group C
Ranji Trophy encounter. Mumbai ended the crucial day at 415/8 in 123 overs, with a six-run first innings lead. Shaikh was batting on 30 and Royston Dias still had to get off the mark when umpires called it a day.
When play started on the penultimate day of this four-day encounter, Mumbai looked overwhelming favourites to dominate proceedings. It was not to be. Overnight batsmen Jay Bista, who was batting on 89 went on to score a century but was caught in slips for 135, while attempting a paddle sweep.
Siddhesh Lad showed aggressive intent after a cautious start on Sunday. He played confidently and upped his scoring rate. He reached fifty off 81 balls. But like Bista, Lad also fell victim to a nothing shot. A half-hearted off drive resulted in him being caught in gully by Wasim Ahmed off the bowling of Chandrakant Sukre. He made 82.
Even after the departure of the two overnight batsmen, things were pretty much in Mumbai's control. Skipper
Suryakumar Yadav came in at the fall of Bista's wicket. He came with the intent of staying at the wicket for as long as he could. He was middling the ball well and played his shots. Two sixes that he hit suggested that he is in good nick.
The slide began and uncertainty started creeping in when Mumbai lost three wickets - Lad (82), Shubham Ranjane (9) and Abhishek Nayar (1) - within the space of 36 runs. Nayar's was an unfortunate dismissal. Yadav smacked a straight drive but it touched the fingers off Ankit Kushwah's hand, and took off one bail before travelling to the boundary. While everyone was admiring the boundary, someone from the MP camp noticed that bail had fallen off and they appealed for a run out. On referring to the third umpire, Nayar was adjudged out.
The lanky Akash Parkar arrived when Mumbai were all of a sudden reduced to 296/5. What conversation ensued between Yadav and Parkar is not known, but the rate of scoring dropped alarmingly.
Yadav and Parkar added 57 runs for the sixth wicket but took almost 27 overs before Yadav was bowled round his legs by pacer
Ishwar Pandey
for 91.
Shaikh brought some urgency with him at the fall of Yadav. He stole a few singles and also encouraged Parkar to play some shots. Shaikh in fact, ran Parkar out in an attempt to steal a cheeky single. But because of his height Parkar's dive at the strikers end saved him. Parkar eventually departed after making a 113-ball 21. Spinner Vijay Gohil was the eighth Mumbai batsman out for 8.
Shaikh, who had botched up a stumping attempt on Day One when let go Naman Ojha, who scored a big hundred which helped MP score 409, sort of redeemed himself by enabling Mumbai take the first innings lead.
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