On a placid pitch that has had nothing to offer the bowlers, Mumbai’s bowlers gave their team an upper hand – primarily due to their batting efforts – midway through its Ranji Trophy Group B tie against Andhra.
Allrounders Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian saw off the early moisture before falling in Nithish Kumar Reddy’s successive overs, which completed a deserving five-wicket haul for the pacer. On the cusp of the first hour mark, when Andhra had Mumbai at 316 for eight, its batters would have started visualising strokes.
But Mohit Avasthi (53, 130b, 172m, 9x4, 1x6) and Dhawal Kulkarni frustrated a tired Andhra bowling lot with a 98-run association that ensured Mumbai bat for a majority of the second day. After helping Mumbai finish its first essay at 395, the bowlers came to party in the last session, leaving Andhra in a spot of bother at stumps.
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Left-arm pacer Royston Dias broke the opening partnership by getting opener C.R. Gnaneshwar caught behind. Mulani’s left-arm spin then did the trick twice, including the key wicket of Hanuma Vihari as Andhra ended Day Two at 98 for three. The onus will be on opener D.B. Prashant Kumar, who notched up a nonchalant fifty, and captain Ricky Bhui to bail Andhra out of trouble on the third day.
The day, however, belonged to Avasthi and Kotian (54, 106b, 8x4) who starred with the bat. On a dull day that saw only 212 runs having been scored, the duo put Mumbai into ascendancy. While Kotian continued with his overnight breezy knock before perishing in the slip cordon moments after his 91-run stand with Mulani had been broken.
Avasthi along with veteran Kulkarni then took the fizz out of a hapless Andhra attack by blocking the ball for 168 minutes. With K.V. Sasikanth having been ruled out of the game, Andhra was a bowler short. And under a scorching run, the bowlers had to wait for a mistake.
Unlike Mumbai’s top order, the duo did not play a false short. Avasthi also took a couple of blows on his bowling palm but stood his ground to grind his way to a fifty.
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