Ranji Trophy: Mumbai emerge victorious by an innings and 155 runs against Chandigarh

Mumbai skipper Siddhesh Lad (right) leads his team off the field after their win over Chandigarh at Wankhede on Tuesday. Pic/Ashish Raje

[popcorn number="Six" desc="No. of wickets claimed by Mumbai spinners on Tuesday (Day3); on Day 2, all 11 Chandigarh wickets were taken by Mumbai's pacers, with the spinners not bowling a single over" class="Default"]

[popcorn number="Seven" desc="No. of points earned by Mumbai after beating Chandigarh on Tuesday, the maximum awarded to a team - six points for an outright win and one bonus point for an innings victory" class="Default"]

Mumbai outclassed Chandigarh by an innings and 155 runs on Day Three of their opening Elite Group ‘D' Ranji Trophy match at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. The 42-time champions earned seven vital points with the win, bowling out the visitors for 196 just 11 minutes before tea.

Off-spinner Tanush Kotian (3-30), left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (3-69), and pacer Tushar Deshpande (2-37) played key roles in the second innings of the season's opening game. On Monday, Deshpande claimed 5-17 to bowl out Chandigarh for 78 in the first innings in reply to Mumbai's 429 all out. After being asked to follow on, the visitors began their innings on Day Three at 0-1 overnight. Opener Arjun Azad (62, 9x4, 1x6) and one-drop Arslan Khan (20) showed determination and temperament, sharing a 39-run stand before pacer Sylvester D'Souza (1-14) had Arslan caught by Sarfaraz Khan at second slip. Shivam Bhambri was the other significant run-getter (44) for the visitors.

Mumbai skipper Siddhesh Lad was pleased with the big win first up. "This win was very important for us because the team is new and [still] we've got such a convincing victory in our very first game. One positive is that our bowlers can take five wickets in the first spell. That speaks volumes about the bowling line-up we have. As a unit, we want to win the Ranji Trophy. That is our team goal, but our focus is also on how our players take one step forward," said Lad.

The victors, though, will be without their opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ayush Mhatre when they take on Himachal Pradesh in their second match at Bilaspur from October 18. While Jaiswal will travel to New Zealand for India ‘A' duty, Mumbai will also miss the services of young vice-captain Mhatre, 19, who suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and is ruled out for at least a month.

Mhatre, who scored 48, injured his hamstring while attempting a second run. Scans later revealed a Grade 4 tear in his right hamstring. "He [Mhatre] looks very sad. He worked really hard in the off-season; he was doing rehab with me at the MCA-BKC [Academy]. He was working very hard; he used to travel from Virar to do his rehab. These things happen, but we'll try and motivate him," added Lad.

Ranji Brief scores
Mumbai 429 all out beat Chandigarh 78 all out & 196 all out (A Azad 62, S Bhambri 44; T Kotian 3-30, S Mulani 3-69, T Deshpande 2-37) by an innings and 155 runs