Mumbai piled up a massive 585-run first-innings lead and made early inroads against Meghalaya, while Jammu and Kashmir grabbed a crucial 205-run advantage against Baroda in their Group A Ranji Trophy matches on Friday. Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane missed a century but maiden First-Class tons from Akash Anand (103) and Shams Mulani (100 not out), Siddhesh Lad’s 145 and fifties from Shardul Thakur (84) and Suryansh Shedge (61) powered the hosts to a massive 671 for seven declared in the first innings.

Meghalaya, who were shot out for 86 in the first innings, slipped to 27/2 at stumps on the second day with Thakur striking twice with the new ball, trailing by 558 runs as Mumbai took big strides towards a massive win to ensure qualification for the quarterfinals.

With a quarterfinal berth at stake, the defending champions opted for a no-risk approach by batting through the second day to push for an outright win.

The day, however, began on a disappointing note for the hosts when Rahane fell four runs short of his first century this season.

He edged one behind to Arpit Subhas off MD Nafees after being troubled on a few occasions.

Lad brought up his second century of the season, finishing with 145 off 250 balls with 17 fours and a six. Lad had himself to blame when he hit a innocuous delivery from Anish Charak (2/185) straight into the hands of Kishan Lyndoh at short midwicket.

“I never thought that I would be back playing for Mumbai again because we had won the Ranji Trophy last year and boys are doing really well. But I knew somewhere the opportunity will come and I have to be ready for that. Kudos to the support staff, they have really worked hard on me since June (last year),” Lad, who had left Mumbai for Goa earlier, told media after stumps.

“I had a talk with Omkar Salvi sir at the start of the season (as to) what my role will be, when will I get (an) opportunity? He made me ready for for this situation and I’m glad that it came off nice.” Lad said Meghalaya are a new team among the Elites in the Ranji Trophy and they will need time to find their feet.

“Yes, Meghalaya is a new team, they will take some time to get acclimatised to the teams which are playing since (many) years. They have the potential, but our coach and captain won’t let you take anyone lightly; you can’t take anyone lightly and you can’t take your place lightly in the team (as well),” he added.

The 196-run association between Rahane and Lad was followed by an 87-run stand between Lad and Anand for the fourth wicket and another 123 runs were added between Suryansh Shedge and Anand for the fifth wicket.

Thakur then produced a brutal 42-ball 84 with five sixes and nine fours while adding 156 runs for the seventh wicket from only 99 balls with Mulani.

Mumbai declared after Mulani scored his ton, reaching 100 not out from 86 balls.

In another Group A clash at Vadodara, J&K took control against Baroda, whom they had displaced from the top of the points table with a win over Mumbai last week.

J&K came up with a fine bowling display to dismiss Baroda for 166 and take an 80-run first-innings lead.

At stumps, J&K’s lead had swelled to 205 with opener Shubham Khajuria, who had earlier taken 3/47, reaching 67 not out off 115 balls.

In Cuttack, Odisha conceded a 19-run first-innings lead but reached 167 for three at stumps to be ahead by 148 runs against Services with Aashirwad Swain batting on 64.

In Solapur, Siddhesh Veer’s unbeaten 93 and Yash Kshirsagar’s 71 took Maharashtra to 235/3 against Tripura who were bowled out for 270 in the first innings.

Mumbai closed in on a big win despite Odisha’s stoic resistance with the bat as the defending champions reduced the visitors to 126/5 at stumps on Day Three after imposing follow-on, in their Ranji Trophy Group A encounter here on Friday. Odisha were trailing by another 191 runs as a defeat by an innings loomed large despite their stoic resistance making Mumbai toil here at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy Ground. Resuming at 146 for five in reply to Mumbai’s massive 602 for four declared, Odisha made the Mumbai bowlers work hard for nearly 95 overs in the first innings, and after Ajinkya Rahane asked them to follow-on as the hosts took a 319-run lead, the response was no different.

Sandeep Pattanaik led the fight for Odisha in the first innings with a fine 187-ball 102 laced with 11 fours and four sixes and he was ably supported by the lower-order batters after the specialists disappointed.

However, the right-handed Pattanaik could only make 39 (45 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) in the second essay before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (1/26), who took 6/115 in the first innings.

On a pitch assisting turn and bounce but largely favourable to batters due to grass cover, young right-arm off-spinner Himanshu Singh, who copies R Ashwin’s bowling action, claimed 3/45 in the second essay with great control after his 3/53 in the first innings.

At stumps, wicketkeeper-batter Aashirwad Swain (46 not out) was holding one front.

While the 27-year-old Mulani expressed delight on taking his 14th five-for in First-Class cricket, he admitted his disappointment in not getting a chance with the India A side currently playing in Australia.

“It is disappointing. But that is how life is, a lot of people don’t get selected who should get selected. My job is to keep on bowling and help my team and keep (up) the standards,” he told media after stumps.

“There is a storm inside me but not many can see it. I have to keep grinding over here, on tough tracks to bowl on, bowling 30-35 overs so that I can showcase my fitness as well.” “It feels really good to pick up a fifer after a very long time. Normally it was not the case; I was taking 3-4 wickets and finally I have got a fifer. It was very important for me personally and for the team as well, we need this (win) outright and we are moving in the right direction,” he said.

Maharashtra vs Services

In Pune, Maharashtra were placed precariously as they reached 52 for three chasing 339 to win, needing another 287 against Services.

The visitors had folded for 230 in the second innings after earning a 108-run lead, thus setting a stiff target for the hosts at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje.

Tripura vs Baroda

In Agartala, Tripura were leading by 210 runs at the close of play in the second innings after declaring at 482 for seven in their first essay, with visitors Baroda reaching 37 for no loss.

Tripura took a huge lead of 252 runs in the first innings as each of their top five batters made fifties, which included Bikram Kumar Das (97), Jiwanjot Singh (94), Tejasvi Jaiswal (82), Sridam Paul (73) and Mandeep Singh (74 not out). For the record, Tejasvi is India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal’s younger brother.

Meghalaya vs Jammu & Kashmir

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir defeated Meghalaya by seven wickets at the MCA Ground in Shillong and claimed six points.

The visitors, who dominated from the word go and had bowled out Meghalaya for paltry scores of 73 and 195, chased the 75-run target in 15.4 overs reaching 77 for three.

Auqib Nabi was named the Player of the Match for his spells of 5/14 and 5/60.

Andhra vs Uttarakhand

Optimistic visitors Uttarakhand nosed ahead of Andhra after bowlers from both sides called the shots on an eventful third day’s play by grabbing as many as 16 wickets in their Ranji Trophy Group B match on Friday. Set a target of 321 after Uttarakhand’s sporting declaration at 129/9, Andhra were 8/1 at stumps, needing another 313 runs for an improbable victory.

Resuming at overnight 92/4, Andhra were all out for a paltry 146 in reply to Uttarakhand’s 338, thus giving the visiting side a massive lead of 210 runs heading into their second essay.

Out-of-favour India all-rounder Hanuma Vihari was the top-scorer for Andhra with a 43-run knock that came off 91 balls and contained six boundaries.

Opener Abhishek Reddy was the second-best scorer for Andhra, with 35 off 64 balls.

It was a complete team effort by the Uttarakhand bowlers with left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra (3/12) being their most successful bowler.

There were two wickets apiece for Deepak Dhapola (2/29), Abhay Negi (2/30) and Swapnil Singh (2/19), as the Andhra innings lasted 56.3 overs.

When Uttarakhand came out to bat for the second time in the game, they were hoping to build on their big first-innings lead of over 200 runs. However, things didn’t pan out in the manner they had hoped for as Uttarakhand lost half their side with just 39 runs on the board.

At 61 for seven, they were in danger of being bowled out under 100 but Swapnil Singh, batting at number eight, stood firm and contributed an invaluable 39 off 90 deliveries while adding 41 runs for the ninth wicket with Deepak Dhapola (8).

The visitors declared their second innings with Dhapola’s dismissal, giving both the Uttarakhand bowlers and Andhra batters enough time to go for an outright win.

Cheepurapalli Stephen (3/25) and KV Sasikanth (3/27), who started the proceedings for Andhra with the new ball, took six wickets between them equally, while left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan chipped in with two, after picking four in the first innings.

The stumps were drawn for the day with the dismissal of Abhishek Reddy (6) in Andhra’s second innings, the opener getting bowled by Dhapola at the start of the fifth over.

The home team will have its task cut out on the fourth and final day against a determined Uttarakhand bowling unit at the Dr PVG Raju ACA Sports Complex where the bowlers have tasted plenty of success.

Punjab vs Haryana

Left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu delivered a match-winning performance, taking 5/56 in the second innings to complete an 11-wicket haul as Haryana defeated Punjab by 37 runs in a Ranji Trophy Group C clash on Friday. Punjab, starting the penultimate day on 73/3 and needing 144 more runs, crumbled under pressure from Sindhu’s relentless spin and Jayant Yadav’s precise off-spin (3/35 in 10.4 overs), collapsing well before lunch and handing Haryana their second outright win in four matches.

Haryana, who also have two first-innings lead results, strengthened their position at the top of the standings with 19 points from four games, bringing them close to a quarterfinal berth.

Punjab’s chase largely rested on overnight batter Prabhsimran Singh, unbeaten on 23, but his early dismissal by Sindhu triggered a collapse.

Nehal Wadhera struck a quick 33 off 34 balls with five boundaries and a six, briefly reviving hopes, but his fall sealed Punjab’s fate.

Punjab ultimately lost eight of their second-innings wickets to Haryana’s spinners, as Sindhu and Yadav dominated the conditions in Lahli, where 33 of the 40 wickets in the match went to spin.

Kerala vs Uttar Pradesh

A heavy downpour resulting in leaky dressing room roofs led to early stumps at the St Xaviers College ground at Thumba in Thiruvananthapuram where hosts Kerala held a strong position, reducing Uttar Pradesh to 66/2, still trailing by 167 runs.

Rainwater seeped through several parts of the ceiling, reportedly damaging players’ kit bags, while the wicket remained under cover as only 32.1 overs were possible in the day.

Earlier, Salman Nizar top-scored with 93, while Sachin Baby (84) and Mohammad Azharuddeen (40) provided crucial contributions to extend the lead of Kerala who are second in the table ahead of Karnataka on net run-rate.

Bengal vs Karnataka

Ishan Porel delivered crucial breakthroughs with figures of 4/54 from 23.1 overs, leading Bengal’s three-pronged pace attack that claimed nine wickets to secure a significant first-innings lead over Karnataka.

Resuming on 155/5, Karnataka were bowled out for 221 in 82.1 overs, with Porel striking early.

Abhinav Manohar, resuming overnight on 50, added only five runs before falling for 55, while Shreyas Gopal got out for 28 both to Porel.

In their second essay, Bengal reached 127/3, with Sudip Chatterjee giving them a fine start before falling for 48.

Bengal now hold an overall lead of 207, putting them firmly in control.

BRIEF SCORES

At Mumbai: Mumbai 602/4 decl. lead Odisha 285 in 94.3 overs (Sandeep Pattanaik 102; Shams Mulani 6/115) & 126/5 in 42 overs (F/O) (Aashirwad Swain 46*; Himanshu Singh 3/45) by 191 runs.

At Pune: Services 293 & 230 in 73.5 overs (Amit Shukla 51; Satyajeet Bachav 5/80) lead Maharashtra 185 & 52/3 in 20 overs (Sachin Dhas 15*; Pulkit Narang 2/22) by 287 runs.

At Shillong: Meghalaya 73 & 195 lost to Jammu and Kashmir 194 & 77/3 in 15.4 overs (Vivrant Sharma 32*; Akash Kumar 2/36) by 7 wickets.

At Agartala: Baroda 235 & 37/0 in 16 overs (Shivalik Sharma 25*, JK Singh 12*) trail Tripura 482/7d in 120.1 overs (Bikram kumar Das 97, Jiwanjot Singh 94, Tejasvi Jaiswal 82, Sridam Paul 73, Mandeep Singh 74*) by 210 runs. 

In Vizianagaram: Uttarakhand 338 and 128/9 declared in 49 overs (Swapnil Singh 39; Cheepurapalli Stephen 3/25, KV Sasikanth (3/27) vs Andhra 146 all out 56.3 overs (Hanuma Vihari 43; Mayank Mishra 3/12) and 8/1 in 4/1 overs.

In Nagpur: Himachal Pradesh 307 and 51/2 in 15 overs vs Vidarbha 1st innings 575 all out in 140.1 overs (Dhruv Shorey 125, Yash Rathod 128, Karun Nair 85, Akshay Wadkar 67, Danish Malewar 59; Divesh Sharma 4/99).

In Ahmedabad: Puducherry 1st innings: 361 vs Gujarat 1st innings 359/9 in 118 overs (Aarya Desai 200; Sagar Udeshi 4/72).

In Jaipur: Hyderabad 410 and 36/0 vs Rajasthan 1st innings 425 all out in 108.2 overs (Mahipal Lomror 111, Shubham Garhwal 108, Abhijeet Tomar 60; Tanay Thyagarajan 3/104).

In Rohtak: Haryana 114 and 243 b Punjab 141 and 179; 39.4 overs (Salil Arora 57, Nehal Wadhera 33; Nishant Sindhu 5/56, Jayant Yadav 3/35) by 37 runs.

In Patna: Madhya Pradesh 616. Bihar 331/8; 130.5 overs (Ayush Loharuka 76, Bipin Saurabh 71, Sharman Nigrodh 42; Saransh Jain 3/107).

In Thumba: Uttar Pradesh 162 and 66/2; 18 overs. Kerala 395; 124.1 overs (Salman Nizar 93, Sachin Baby 83; Aaqib Khan 3/61).

In Bengaluru: Bengal 301 and 127/3; 44 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 48). Karnataka 221; 82.1 overs (Abhinav Manohar 55; Ishan Porel 4/54, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 3/65).

Rest of India (RoI) batter Abhimanyu Easwaran missed out on what would have been a well-deserved double century on Day 4 of the Irani Cup final against Mumbai in Lucknow. However, Easwaran was angry at himself as he was dismissed on 191 runs of 292 balls, smashing one six and 16 fours. The incident happened on the 103rd over of RoI’s innings which was bowled by Shams Mulani. Easwaran tried to sweep the ball after Mulani flighted it outside leg. However, the ball ballooned off the top edge and Tanush Kotian took an easy catch at short leg.

Easwaran was visibly angry at himself, mainly due to his shot selection, as he was just nine runs away from reaching his double.

HUGE Wicket Alert

Shams Mulani gets the big wicket of Abhimanyu Easwaran (191), who misses out on his double ton by 9 runs!

A magnificent innings from Easwaran

2 wickets in 2 overs for Mulani #IraniCup | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match https://t.co/Er0EHGOZKh pic.twitter.com/U4XQot1FeV

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 4, 2024

In response to Mumbai’s 537 in the first innings, RoI showed great resistance, courtesy Easwaran’s 191, to reach 416.

India star Dhruv Jurel also hit a impressive 93 while rest of the RoI batters failed to impress.

On Day 3, RoI took quick wickets as Mukesh Kumar took Mohammed Juned’s wicket to end the innings at 537.

Sarfaraz stayed unbeaten on 222 in 286 balls, with 25 fours and four sixes. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (97 in 234 balls, with seven fours and a six) and Shreyas Iyer (57 in 84 balls, with six fours and two sixes) had stabilised the innings when Mumbai was reduced to 37/3.

Tanush Kotian (64 in 124 balls, with six fours) and Shardul Thakur (36 in 59 balls, with four boundaries and a six) also delivered fine contributions.

Mukesh (5/110) was the top bowler for ROI. Yash Dayal and Prasidh Krishna took two wickets each. Saransh Jain got one scalp.

(With PTI Inputs)

Mumbai all-rounder Shams Mulani has had a first-class match of his life. After scoring a match-saving 89 in the first innings for India A against India D in the Duleep Trophy 2024 second round, Mulani now starred with the ball and with his quick thinking in the field. Not only did he pick up four wickets in the game, the 27-year-old was able to inflict a rare type of run out. Yash Dubey, opening the batting for India D, was the victim of a stroke of misfortune and a brilliant piece of game alertness by Mulani.

Watch: Yash Dubey run out by Shams Mulani

Some quick thinking, presence of mind & luck helped India A break the 100-run stand between Yash Dubey & Ricky Bhui #DuleepTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank

Follow the match : https://t.co/m9YW0HttaH pic.twitter.com/w6nBmgPxfB

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 15, 2024

Striker Ricky Bhui had played a ball bowled by Mulani down the ground, but the ball happened to deflect off non-striker Dubey’s bat. However, Dubey, thinking that the ball had slipped through, attempted to sneak a quick single.

However, an alert Mulani noticed that the ball hadn’t gone too far, and grabbed it and dislodged the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Dubey was late to react, and had to walk back to the pavilion. He was dismissed on a score of 37 off 94 balls.

India A vs India D, Duleep Trophy 2024: As it happened

India A registered a thumping 186-run victory, despite struggling at 94/5 in their first innings. Mulani’s resilient 89 had helped India A to go from there to a total of 290, after which they took a 107-run lead as India D were bowled out for just 183.

Notably, India D captain Shreyas Iyer made a duck, after walking out to bat wearing sunglasses.

In the second innings, centuries by Pratham Singh and Tilak Verma helped India A set a mammoth target of 487. India D were bowled out for 301, with Mulani dismantling the middle order by taking the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson, along with his moment of genius by running out Dubey.