Mumbai sneak into Ranji Trophy quarters

MUMBAI: In the end, Mumbai did sneak into the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy, but not before enduring some really anxious moments.
Having just taken three points off defending champions Karnataka in their last league encounter of the Ranji Trophy at the Wankhede Stadium, which ended in a draw on Monday, they had to wait for the result of the Madhya Pradesh versus Bengal game, which had reached a fascinating climax.
Three more wickets would have given MP a win and a spot in the quarters, and knocked Mumbai out. Their other two competitors for the last eight berth, Railways and Baroda had lost their games earlier in the day which ended their qualification hopes.
At that moment, Mumbai were not fully sure whether the 20 points they ended up with would be enough to stay in the tournament. While skipper Aditya Tare was biting his nails, coach Pravin Amre was busy tracking the developments at Indore.
Eventually, the entire Mumbai team heaved a sigh of relief as Bengal held on for a tense draw. It was perhaps the most thrilling climax in the recent history of the Ranji Trophy before the knock-outs.
Having survived by the skin of their teeth through a bit of pluck and plenty of luck, Mumbai will now be one of the teams in action in the quarters from February 15.
It was ironic that skipper Aditya Tare had ruled out the possibility of a draw (with first innings points in their favour) on the eve of the game against Karnataka.
"Three teams would have to fail for that to happen, which, I think, is impossible," he had said. Cricket, as they, is a funny game! For a while, Mumbai looked in danger of losing their way. They slipped to 105 for five, before Suryakumar Yadav (77 not out, 98b, 7x4, 2x6) and Nikhil Patil jr (48, 48b. 7x4) bailed them out with a 68-run stand for the sixth wicket.
They declared at 223 for eight, setting Karnataka a 245-run target in 39 overs.The visitors finished at 110-1, with Kunal Kapoor (50 not out) and Robin Uthappa (44 not out) helping themselves to some batting practice ahead of the KOs.
While it looks highly unlikely that veteran opener Wasim Jaffer, who has fractured his finger, would be back for the quarters, Mumbai would be hoping that experienced seamer Dhawal Kulkarni returns to the side.
That of course depends on the Indian team management. If they want him as cover for injuries during the course of the World Cup, he may not feature in the rest of the campaign.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai 436 & 223-8 declared (Surya Yadav 77*, Nikhil Patil 48; Udit Patel 4-55) drew with Karnataka 415 & 110-1 (Robin Uthappa 44*, Kunal Kapoor 50*).
STORY SO FAR...
GROUP 'A' Points Tally: 1. Karnataka 338, 2.Tamil Nadu 298, 3. Mumbai 208, 4.Madhya Pradesh 198, 5. Baroda 188, 6. Railways 168, 7. Uttar Pradesh 158, 8. Bengal 138, Jammu & Kashmir 128.Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Mumbai qualified for knock-outs. J&K relegated to Group 'C' next year.
GROUP 'B' Points Tally: 1. Delhi 378, 2.Maharashtra 268, 3. Vidarbha 248, 4.Gujarat 248, 5. Odisha 208, 6. Punjab 198, 7. Team Rajasthan 188, 8.Haryana 178, 9. Saurashtra 108.Delhi, Maharashtra & Vidarbha qualified for knock-outs. Saurashtra relegated to Group 'C' next year.
GROUP 'C' Points Tally: 1. Assam 388, 2. Andhra 29.8, 3. Himachal Pradesh 288, 4.Jharkhand 218, 5. Hyderabad 208, 6.Kerala 208, 7. Tripura 98, 8. Services 88, 9. Goa 58.Assam and Andhra qualifed for the knock-outs and promoted to Group 'A' & 'B' next year.