Mumbai overcame a palpable scare, which even unnerved the usually calm Ajinkya Rahane, to secure a crucial 148-run first-innings lead against Tripura in their Ranji Trophy Group ‘A’ encounter at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium here on Monday.
During centurion Jiwanjot Singh and Sridam Paul’s ominous 91-run fourth-wicket partnership, Rahane was involved in heated debates with the umpires after a couple of leg-before appeals were turned down. The Mumbai skipper then spilt a tough chance in the slips, saw his fielders concede a couple of boundaries by letting the ball slip through their legs, and gave Shardul Thakur an earful for sloppy fielding at fine-leg.
These blips and a tame performance by the seamers helped Tripura inch closer towards Mumbai’s first-innings score before spinners Himanshu Singh and Shams Mulani wrested the initiative.
However, to add to the ebb and flow of the third day’s play, Mumbai lost both openers cheaply in its second essay to leave the contest ajar.
Earlier, Himanshu struck in his first over of the day, castling Tejasvi Jaiswal after Mohit Avasthi ended nightwatchman Parvez Sultan’s 66-ball vigil. Just as an alliance of substance between Sridam and Tripura skipper Mandeep Singh was brewing, Himanshu was reintroduced, and he produced two wickets in the span of four balls.
In a rush of blood to the head, Sridam stepped out and miscued a slog at long-off before local hero Manisankar Murasingh trudged back for a duck.
Sridam’s dismissal broke Tripura’s resolve as Mulani nabbed a couple of wickets in quick succession before Mandeep, losing partners at the other end, swung for the hills in fading light to stave off the ignominy of conceding the follow-on.
In contrast, Jiwanjot and Sridam were an image of calm in the morning, pulling away Shardul and Avasthi’s innocuous bouncers without peril, but couldn’t pull their side to safety.
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