Mumbai batsmen are slowly but steadily setting the tone on Day 4 to set a formidable target to chase for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy final at Holkar Stadium in Indore on Friday. Skipper Aditya Tare was batting steadily and Mumbai were 247/4 in the first session. Mumbai lost Suryakumar Yadav (49) in the morning. On Day 3, Shreyas Iyer finally came back to form as he smashed 82 and helped Mumbai gain a 108-run lead. Gujarat bowlers, in the mean time, were on attack mode in the morning, sticking to a wicket-to-wicket line, eyeing quick wickets to restrict Mumbai’s lead on a pitch that is not becoming easy to bat on. Catch live cricket score and updates of the Gujarat vs Mumbai Ranji Trophy final Day 4 from Indore here.
10:55 am IST: It’s drinks. RP Singh is sharing the new ball with Rush Kalaria. Aditya Tare is unbeaten on 42, but is extremely lucky to be still out there. He was caught off a no-ball earlier, and in the last over, Panchal at gully fails to catch one that came towards him. Mumbai 247/4 after 82 overs. Lead by 147 runs.
10:43 am IST: The second new ball does the trick. Suryakumar edges one back to Parthiv behind the stumps. Kalaria with the breakthrough. The umpires check for the no-ball but it’s clean. Suryakumar Yadav’s walking back. Out on 49 off 215 deliveries. Mumbai 238/4 after 80.2 overs.
10:20 am IST: Aditya Tare has started to free his arms. Has reached 26. Mumbai 223/3 after 77 overs
10:07 am IST: Aditya Tare survives a scare! Had edged one to gully off Chintan Gaja, but the bowler has overstepped. Mumbai 215/3 after 73 overs.
9:57 am IST: Shreyas Iyer smashed a brilliant 82 on Day 3, Thursday. However, he was upset at how Gujarat kept bowling a negative line.
9:50 am IST: Far more attacking start from Gujarat this morning. They’re attacking the stumps and trying to use the morning session to their advantage. Six runs in the last overs. Mumbai 214/3 after 71 overs.
9:35 am IST: RP Singh starts off proceedings on Day 4 with a maiden. Mumbai 208/3; lead by 108 runs. Aditya Tare 13 (24) and Suryakumar Yadav 45 (180) are out there in the middle for Mumbai.
On Day 3, It was a good start for Mumbai earlyas Shardul Thakur removed Chirag Gandhi off the fifth ball of the day. With no runs added to their overnight score, Rush Kalaria and Chintan Gaja then forged a quick-fire partnership of 22 runs before Balwinder Sandhu removed Kalaria in the first over of his morning spell.
The last two Gujarat batsmen could only add 15 more to the total as they folded up on 328.
This is the first time a team has twice taken a first-innings lead against Mumbai in a single edition of the Ranji Trophy in 10 years.
The lead wasn’t a big one, but it created a psychological pressure on Aditya Tare’s boys. However, young sensation Prithvi Shaw ensured the situation didn’t stay that way for long as he blasted 44 off 34 balls. It was a delightful innings laced with eight cracking shots to the fence.