21 November,2010 07:53 AM IST | | Sai Mohan
Mumbai chased down 252 runs on a deteriorating pitch to shock Railways in Ranji Trophy Super League game Rohit Sharma celebrates after hitting the winning runs for Mumbai against Rlys on Saturday.u00a0
Mumbai's star batsman Rohit Sharma reckons his team's win against Railways is an important juncture in their quest for an incredible 40th Ranji Trophy championship.
After back-to-back draws against Saurashtra and Bengal, the defending champions registered their first victory of the 2010-11 season in a thrilling climax against Railways at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground on Saturday.
Chasing 252 on the fourth and final day, Mumbai stumbled from a comfortable 204-2 to 237-8, but Sharma's unbeaten knock of 31 meant the hosts pulled through against a spirited Railways outfit led by Murali Kartik.
With the win, Mumbai have pipped Tamil Nadu and Gujarat to the top of Group A in the Super League.
Resuming at their overnight score of 22-0, Omkar Gurav (30) and Sahil Kukreja (54) added a further 34 runs when Gurav was run-out.u00a0 From there on, Ajinkya Rahane (94) took charge of proceedings with a 97-run stand with Kukreja.
Key moment
Rahane's dismissal changed the complexion of the game as Kartik (3-69) and JP Yadav (3-54) threatened to upset the hosts.
Rohit breathed a sigh of relief after the match: "The ball was turning a lot, it was a difficult fourth day wicket. They (Railways) had really good bowlers and Kartik was turning the ball a lot. We can be proud of this victory. It is the morale boost we needed after two draws," Sharma told Sunday MiD DAY.
"We needed this win badly, because both TN and Gujarat had already registered wins. Sharma reckoned it was even more special since Mumbai went into the fixture without a host of injured players: "We are suffering from a lot of injuries but all the youngsters have put up their hands and made it count.
"It was a fantastic team effortu00a0-- from Rohan Raje, Dhawal Kulkarni to Rahane. It shows that we have great bench strength," he said. Meanwhile, the 23-year old has not been picked in India's 14-man ODI squad to face New Zealand.
