Mumbai are out of this season's Ranji Trophy.
Well, almost.
Captain Amol Muzumdar won the toss and took a gamble by asking Saurashtra to bat on a docile track at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the move seems to have backfired on the defending champions.
As things stand at the end of second day's play, the visitors are in the driver's seat -- having consolidated their position further scoring a massive 465 for 9 in their first innings -- and look certain to move into the last four at the expense of the home team.
The fact that Delhi, also on 18 points alongside Mumbai but with a better quotient, is doing well in its match against Tamil Nadu (265/6 in reply to TN's 268) further corroborates the fact that it's all over for the defending champions this season.
Mumbai have been sloppy this season, and that is putting it mildly. Both their wins have come in away matches -- at Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Jhalawar (Rajasthan).
More importantly, the 37-times champions have stuttered at home this season. Be it against Delhi, Maharashtra or for that matter, Karnataka. So it's not entirely an unusual sight to witness them struggling against the surprise group leaders.
However, things weren't as bad for Mumbai when play began on Wednesday morning. Resuming at their overnight score of 202/2, the Saurashtra innings suffered initial setbacks -- being reduced to 245/5 -- as Moondeep Mangela struck early on, taking all the three wickets to fall.
Cheteshwar Pujara could only add two more runs to his overnight score of 61, while Nikhil Rathod (13) and captain Jaydev Shah (10) also fell early as Saurashtra were on the backfoot at lunch having reached 272 for 5.
But it was the post-lunch session that ensured the visitors the upper hand in the match. Veteran batsman Shitanshu Kotak (overnight 73) played the sheet-anchor's role to perfection, making a patient 162 not out.
The 35-year-old's 154-run sixth-wicket partnership with teenager Ravindra Jadeja (87) laid the foundation of a solid first innings total for the visitors and also ensured they lost no wickets in the second session of play to reach 376 for 5.
By the time Jadeja was dismissed, Saurashtra were just one-run short of 400. And even though the hosts came back strong towards the end of day's play, picking up three more wickets, the damage had already been done.
Sandip Maniar (14 not out), who started his career as an opening batsman, ensured Saurashtra were yet to be dismissed when stumps were drawn. Murtuza Hussain (4/93) and Moondeep Mangela (4/97) were the bowling mainstays for the home side but captain Muzumdar and coach Praveen Amre will be a tad worried about the sloppy fielding that witnessed, amongst others, Kotak being dropped on three occasions.
With such a formidable total on board and just two days to go, Saurashtra have virtually batted Mumbai out of the game. For, even if the hosts do manage to take the lead somehow, it is highly unlikely that they would be able to force a win. And with Delhi doing well against Tamil Nadu it has put paid to hopes of any favour as well.
Scorecard:
Saurashtra 1st innings (Overnight score: 202/2)
K Vaghela c Samant b Hussain 35
S Jogiyani b Hussain 5
S Kotak not out 162
C Pujara b Mangela 63
N Rathod c Samant b Mangela 13
J Shah c Sharma b Mangela 10
R Jadeja c Rahane b Kulkarni 87
R Dhurv c Muzumdar b Mangela 27
K Makvana c Kukreja b Hussain 0
S Jobanputra c Indulkar b Hussain 0
S Maniar not out 14
Extras: (b 8, lb 17, w 7, nb 16) 48
Total: (for 9 wickets in 180 overs) 464
Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-92, 3-212, 4-230, 5-245, 6-399, 7-441, 8-444, 9-444.
Bowling: M Hussain 37-8-93-4, M Mangela 41-14-97-4, A Nayar 28-10-43-0, R Powar 31-10-75-0, N Kulkarni 31-5-96-1, A Muzumdar 5-1-14-0, R Sharma 7-0-21-0.
