Dominant Mumbai inch closer to Ranji semi-finals

Mumbai all but sealed a berth in the semi-finals on Day Four of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final tie against Baroda on Wednesday.

The 39-time champions, comfortably-placed going into the fourth day, further consolidated their advantage by bowling out the visitors early and then not enforcing the follow-on.

The hosts preferred to give their batsman some much-needed batting practice ahead of their last four clash with Services next week.

Mumbai were 171 for one (after 51 overs) in their second essay at close of play on Day 4, an overall lead of 545.

Kaustubh Pawar was batting on 70, and giving him company was Hiken Shah, on 65; the two have put on 123 runs for the second wicket.

Baroda, winners on five occasions and losing finalists to Rajasthan two seasons back, were left with no hope whatsoever following a batting collapse in the final session of the third day, this after allowing the home side post a formidable total.

Resuming at their overnight score of 167 for 5, Baroda added a further 104 runs to their total -- having played 38.4 overs in the day's opening session.

Ambati Rayudu was the pick of the Baroda batsmen, scoring an unbeaten 89, his 152-ball innings inclusive of 15 boundaries and two sixes.

In fact, the vice-captain was the lone visiting batsman to put up a fight with wickets falling in a canter at the other end.

Debutant Vishal Dabholkar was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers with figures of three for 88. Ankeet Chavan, Dhaval Kulkarni and Junaid Khan picked two wickets each.

Leading by a whopping 374 runs in the first essay, Mumbai began their second innings on a confident note, racing to 48, before first innings centurion Wasim Jaffer was adjudged leg before to Rayudu.

Jaffer's quickfire 33 was inclusive of two boundaries and an equal number of sixes.  The hosts were comfortably placed at 90 for 1 (29 overs) at tea.

Pawar completed his half century soon after tea with a boundary, his fifth, off Rayudu. Shah also achieved his fifty as the 100-run partnership for the second wicket was achieved.

Shah was fortunate as he had two reprieves, at 17 -- put down by Ketal Patel off his own bowling -- and 54, let off by captain Yusuf Pathan off Bhargav Bhatt.

Scorecard

Mumbai (1st innings): (Overnight 524 for 6)
Wasim Jaffer b Gagandeep 150
Kaustubh Pawar lbw Vahora 8
Hiken Shah c Pathan b Bhatt 9
Sachin Tendulkar b Vahora 108
Dhaval Kulkarni c Shah b Vahora 27
Abhishek Nayar c Shah b Vahora 132
Aditya Tare c Shah b Chauhan 64
Ankeet Chavan c Waghmode b Bhatt 22
Ajit Agarkar not out 52
Javed Khan c Vahora b Bhatt 43
Vishal Dabholkar not out 0
Extras: (3nb, 4wb, 8 b, 15lb) 30
Total (For nine wickets, 204 overs): 645 declared

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-35, 3-269, 4-286, 5-356, 6-479, 7-533, 8-563, 9-636.

Bowling: Murtuza Vahora 48-13-119-4, Gagandeep Singh 43-7-136-2, Bhargav Bhatt 41-3-128-2, Ketul Patel 38-6-139-0, Abhimanyu Chauhan 19-4-53-1, Ambati Rayudu 6-1-18-0, Aditya Waghmode 9-0-29-0.

Baroda (1st innings): overnight 167 for 5:
Saurabh Wakaskar c Jaffer b Dabholkar 51
Aditya Waghmode c Tare b Kulkarni 53
Abhimanyu Chauhan b Kulkarni 0
Kedar Devdhar lbw Dabholkar 16
Yusuf Pathan c Kulkarni b Agarkar 21
Pinal Shah c Shah b Dabholkar 11
Ambati Rayudu not out 89
Gagandeep Singh c Pawar b Chavan 1
Ketul Patel st Tare b Chavan 8
Murtuja Vahora b Khan 1
Bhargav Bhatt c Tendulkar b Khan 8
Extras: (8nb, 1w, 1b, 2lb): 12.
Total: (all out, 102.4 overs): 271.

Fall of wickets: 1-102 (38.6 ov), 2-109 (47.1), 3-120 (49.6), 4-150 (56.3), 5-150 (57.1), 6-188 (78.1), 7-197 (81.1), 8-227 (93.6), 9-249 (100.6), 10-271 (102.4)

Bowling: Javed Khan 7.4-1-27-2, Dhawal Kulkarni 20-10-58-2, Abhishek Nayar 8-2-17-0, Ajit Agarkar 12-6-22-1, Ankeet Chavan 20-2-56-2, Vishal Dabholkar 35-11-88-3.

Mumbai (2nd innings):
Wasim Jaffer lbw Rayudu 33
Kaustubh Pawar not out 70
Hiken Shah not out 65
Extras: (2nb, 1 b) 3
Total (For one wicket, 51 overs): 171 for one

Fall of wickets: 1-48.

Bowling: Gagandeep Singh 6-1-14-0, Bhargav Bhatt 19-3-57-0, Ketul Patel 14-2-50-0, Ambati Rayudu 8-1-32-1, Aditya Waghmode 4-0-17-0.