Ranji Trophy | Mulani puts Mumbai within striking distance of a big win against Odisha

Spin web: Mulani’s bag of tricks proved too much for the Odisha batters.
| Photo Credit: PTI

In a bid to add batting depth, Mumbai entered the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A tie with only four specialist bowlers. On Friday, the bowling group delivered, putting Mumbai on the cusp of earning a bonus point against Odisha at the end of the penultimate day’s proceedings at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy ground.

Chasing a mammoth total of 602 for four declared, Odisha’s last five wickets added only 139 runs to its overnight tally before folding up for 285 in its first innings early in the afternoon session. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani was the star of the day, returning with a six-wicket haul (six for 115) as he ran through the visitor’s lower-order.

After skipper Ajinkay Rahane enforced the follow-on, the spin duo of Mulani and Himanshu Singh (three for 45) delivered yet again, reducing Odisha to 126 for five at stumps.

Had Aashirwad Swain not edged Himanshu to Rahane in the slips off the last ball of the day, Odisha may have hoped to bat the last day out. But now the lower-order stares at a tall-order to make the home team’s bowlers sweat.

The quartet – especially the spin duo – toiled hard on day three. Of the 87.3 overs bowled, Mulani and Himanshu accounted for 57.3 overs and shared nine of the 10 wickets that fell.

Despite being tonked for three sixes in two overs in the morning session, including the one that sailed over long-on to help Sandeep Pattanaik celebrate his fifth First-Class hundred, Mulani made a strong comeback. Once Pattanaik played onto the stumps, the left-arm spinner raced to his 15th five-wicket haul.

If substitute wicketkeeper Sidhaant Addhatrao – donning the gloves for an unwell Hardik Tamore – had not dropped a thick edge off Debabrata Pradhan’s blade to deprive Shardul Thakur a wicket early on, Mumbai would have fancied its chances of wrapping the game with a day to spare.

The scores: Mumbai — 1st innings: 602/4 decl.

Odisha — 1st innings: Anurag Sarangi b Himanshu 39, Swastik Samal b Shardul 0, Sandeep Pattnaik b Mulani 102, Govinda Poddar c Tamore b Mulani 0, Biplab Samantray c Rahane b Himanshu 0, Kartik Biswal b Mulani 22, Debabrata Pradhan lbw b Mulani 45, Aasirwad Swain c & b Mulani 37, Suryakant Pradhan lbw b Mulani 6, Harshit Rathod c Rahane b Himanshu 23, Sunil Roul (not out) 3; Extras (b-5, lb-2, w-1): 8; Total (in 94.3 overs): 285.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-110, 3-111, 4-112, 5-137, 6-205, 7-243, 8-251, 9-261.

Mumbai bowling: Shardul 19-0-47-1, Dias 12-1-42-0, Shedge 4-0-14-0, Mulani 36-5-115-6, Himanshu 22.3-3-53-3, Lad 1-0-7-0.

Odisha — 2nd innings: Anurag Sarangi c & b Himanshu 6, Swastik Samal c (sub) Addhatrao b Dias 1, Aasirwad Swain (batting) 46, Sandeep Pattnaik st. Addhatrao b Mulani 39, Govinda Poddar c Rahane b Himanshu 1, Biplab Samantray c Rahane b Himanshu 26; Extras (b-3, lb-3, nb-1): 7; Total (for five wkts. in 42 overs): 126.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-19, 3-75, 4-78, 5-126.

Mumbai bowling: Dias 7-2-19-1, Himanshu 17-2-45-3, Shedge 4-0-22-0, Mulani 10-2-26-1, Shardul 4-1-8-0.