Yash, Dubey star as Vidarbha tightens the noose around Mumbai

No team has managed to successfully chase down a target in excess of 400 in the Ranji Trophy’s nine-decade history so far. With a place in the final up for grabs, Mumbai will be hoping against hope to pull off a heist on the last day of its Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha.

At the end of the penultimate day’s proceedings at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium on Thursday, the home team was firmly in control of the game. Riding on the bespectacled Yash Rathod’s (151, 252b, 11×4) fifth hundred of the season and his 158-run partnership for the fifth wicket with captain Akshay Wadkar (52, 202b, 5×4), Vidarbha finished its second essay for 292 at the stroke of tea.

“I had been unable to convert all my previous hundreds this season into a big one. In that regard, with the team requiring me to bat time, it is pleasing that I could notch up my first 150 of the season, Yash said, after notching up his fifth hundred of the season.

Harsh Dubey, the left-arm spinner who is in the form of his life, and rookie counterpart Parth Rekhade then struck vital blows to reduce Mumbai to 83 for three at stumps.

Despite the presence of Shivam Dube at the crease and Suryakumar Yadav yet to take guard along with an in-form allrounder trio, Mumbai faces an uphill task especially while batting on a last day surface which has seen awkward bounce, besides the odd ball has turned.

The pitch played a role in Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal in the extended half hour when the ball kept low to leave the Mumbai captain stranded in front of the stumps. In fact, the umpires checked whether the ball had bounced twice but the decision went in Rekhade’s favour since Rahane was way too behind the popping crease at the time of impact.

Dubey had earlier extended his season’s tally to 63 wickets by dismissing opener Ayush Mhatre (bowled with a ripper) and Siddhesh Lad (stumped after missing a senseless charge down the wicket).

But Rathod emerged the star of the day. The left-hander gave a taste of the good old ‘khadoos (gritty) batting medicine’ to Mumbai, the inventors of the term. He rotated strike without much fuss despite Wadkar being scratchy at the other end.

While Thakur hardly had help from the surface, Mulani was the lone man standing with the other three specialist bowlers appearing ordinary as Vidarbha set a huge target.

Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani, who crossed the 200-wickets mark in Ranji Trophy and scalped six Vidarbha batters in the second innings, said, “I’d like to dedicate this five-wicket haul to Milind Rege sir. He was the chairman when I was recalled into the Ranji team (in 2018-19). There were a few who had tagged me as a white-ball specialist, but being an allrounder himself, Rege sir realised my potential and backed me to the hilt. I owe a lot to him.

The scores: Vidarbha – 1st innings: 383.

Mumbai – 1st innings: 270.

Vidarbha – 2nd innings: Atharva Taide lbw b Thakur 0, Dhruv Shorey lbw b Kotian 13, Danish Malewar c & b Mulani 29, Karun Nair lbw b Mulani 6, Yash Rathod c Rahane b Kotian 151, Akshay Wadkar b Mulani 52, Harsh Dubey lbw b Kotian 1, Darshan Nalkande c (sub) b Mulani 4, Parth Rekhade c Kotian b Mulani 20, Nachiket Bhute c Rahane b Mulani 1, Yash Thakur (not out) 0; Extras (b-5, lb-6, nb-3, w-1): 15; Total (in 110.1 overs): 292.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-40, 3-52, 4-56, 5-214, 6-221, 7-228, 8-262, 9-274.

Mumbai bowling: Shardul 14-3-55-1, Avasthi 6-0-23-0, Mulani 44-9-85-6, Dias 9-4-17-0, Kotian 33.1-3-81-3, Shivam 3-0-17-0, Mhatre 1-0-3-0.

Mumbai – 2nd innings: Akash Anand (batting) 27, Ayush Mhatre b Dubey 18, Siddhesh Lad st Wadkar b Dubey 2, Ajinkya Rahane lbw b Rekhade 12, Shivam Dube (batting) 12; Extras (b-7, nb-5): 12; Total (for 3 wickets, 31 overs): 83.

Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-37, 3-65.

Vidarbha bowling: Bhute 4-1-14-0, Nalkande 2-0-9-0, Dubey 13-3-26-2, Yash 3-0-8-0, Rekhade 8-1-16-1, Karun 1-0-3-0.