Nagpur, Feb 18 (IANS) In just his second First-Class match, Parth Rekhade produced a game-changing spell that rattled Mumbai’s formidable middle-order and left them with an uphill task in their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha on Day Two at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha here on Tuesday.
At stumps on the second day, Mumbai were 188/7, trailing by 195 runs.
Rahane was the first to fall for 18, undone by a ball that rolled back onto his stumps off a defensive shot. Two balls later, Suryakumar Yadav, known for his aggressive stroke play, jabbed at an in-drifter with hard hands, only to see Danish Malewar at silly point complete a sharp catch after an initial deflection off the pad. The drama didn’t end there, as Shivam Dube, attempting to play back to a delivery that skidded across from around the stumps, edged it to slip where Atharva Taide took a stunning catch.
If Rekhade’s over had already put Mumbai in disarray, left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey further compounded their troubles. Shams Mulani, the hero of Mumbai’s quarterfinal comeback, was adjudged lbw after a successful Vidarbha review, as replays confirmed the ball would have crashed into the stumps. Mulani’s dismissal for four gave Dubey his 60th wicket of the season, making him the first bowler since Jaydev Unadkat in 2019-20 to reach the milestone.
With Mumbai reeling, Shardul Thakur led a counterattack, stitching together a vital half-century stand with wicketkeeper Akash Anand. Thakur played with intent, seizing every scoring opportunity, while Anand battled hard to reach a well-made half-century at the top of the order.
Their partnership of 60 runs provided a temporary respite before Thakur, having scored a brisk 37 off 41 balls, holed out to deep square leg while attempting to pull Yash Thakur.
Despite his efforts not being fully reflected in the figures of 2 for 56 in 11 overs, Yash Thakur bowled with relentless energy on a hot afternoon. He had earlier broken a promising half-century stand by dismissing Siddhesh Lad, getting the ball to angle in and hold its line to beat the outside edge. He also came agonizingly close to dismissing Rahane on 11, only for a no-ball to spare the Mumbai veteran.
Vidarbha had started the day by adding 75 runs to their overnight total of 308 for 5, with Yash Rathod bringing up his half-century before triggering a collapse.
Shivam Dube, who had already removed Rekhade and Karun Nair on Day One, wrapped up Vidarbha’s innings with three wickets in three overs, finishing with impressive figures of 5 for 49—his third First-Class five-for.
Brief scores:
Vidarbha 383 all out (Yash Rathod 54, Akshay Wadkar 34; Shivam Dube 5-49, Royston Dias 2-48) lead Mumbai 188/7 in 59 overs (Akash Anand 67 not out, Tanush Kotian 5 not out) by 195 runs
–IANS
hs/bsk/
