Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Mitesh, Atit rescue Baroda after initial hiccup against Mumbai on Day 1

Mitesh Patel and Atit Sheth were aided by the pitch at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium, which had eased out, and a three-pronged Mumbai spin attack that erred at times.

File photo: Baroda’s all-rounder Atit Sheth. | Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR/The Hindu

The weather held up for the entire day, with the covers coming on only briefly for 15 minutes post-tea. Baroda’s all-rounder duo of Mitesh Patel and Atit Sheth also held firm.

Their 130-run partnership for the sixth wicket prevented Mumbai from running away with the game on the first day of the Group A Ranji Trophy tie here on Friday. Mitesh, the wicketkeeper-batter, and Sheth, the pace-bowling allrounder, helped Baroda finish the first day’s play at 241 for six. While the match seems finely balanced, Baroda would have been the happier dressing room after the defending champion dominated the opening session.

When Sheth walked out to bat at the start of the second session, captain Krunal Pandya had just been dismissed by off-spinner Tanush Kotian on what proved to be the last ball of an overcast morning session. At 90 for five, Mumbai was hoping to make Baroda pay dearly for opting to bat first.

However, Sheth and Mitesh had other plans. They were aided by the pitch at the Vadodara International Cricket Stadium, which had eased out, and a three-pronged Mumbai spin attack that erred at times. While Sheth patiently rotated strike, Mitesh impressed with his strokeplay in front of several IPL scouts observing the proceedings.

Mitesh drove the spinners with precision and consistently reverse-swept the off-spin duo of Kotian and debutant Himanshu Singh when Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane set an on-side field. The high-risk shot paid off handsomely, not only in terms of runs behind the wicketkeeper but also by unsettling the Mumbai spinners.

Just as Mitesh looked set for a well-deserved century, a thick edge off his bat was smartly caught by Rahane in the slips. Had Rahane held on to another sharp chance off Raj Limbani’s blade towards the end of the day, and had Siddhesh Lad not dropped a regulation catch on his comeback after 56 months in Mumbai colours, the visitor would have been in a more comfortable position.

While Baroda controlled the last two sessions, Mumbai had dominated the morning. Shardul Thakur needed just five balls to bowl Shivalik Sharma through the gate. Mohit Avasthi then trapped Jyotsnil Singh, inducing a lobbed catch to Shams Mulani at short midwicket.

Mumbai’s spin trio – Himanshu, alongside regulars Mulani and Kotian – then took over. On a moist surface, Mulani and Kotian found grip and turn, breaking the back of Baroda’s middle order.