Ranji Trophy: With Sachin & Rohit in attendance, Musheer & Iyer dazzle, Vidarbha set 538-run target

Mumbai, March 12

Young Musheer Khan continued his rapid ascent with a superlative 136 to put Mumbai on the cusp of victory on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy final against Vidarbha, with Shreyas Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane also making significant contributions here today.

We are positive. With nothing to lose, we will go for the chase. A lot of time is left in the match. Let’s see how the wicket behaves. The pitch has gotten a bit slow. Though the ball is turning, it’s easier for batters to adjust. — Harsh Dubey, Vidarbha Spinner

At stumps, Mumbai had one hand on their 42nd trophy after setting an improbable 538-run target against a battered Vidarbha, who remained without their most successful bowler Aditya Sarwate throughout the day.

If the second day was all about Mumbai adopting a cautious approach to build their lead, the third was about swelling it with a definite plan and execution as they put on 418 in their second innings.

Vidarbha were 10/0 in their second innings with openers Dhruv Shorey and Atharva Taide unscathed, needing another 528 runs to win with two days left in the game.

Despite having a strong grip on the game, Mumbai’s batters respected the fact that there is still plenty of time left in the contest and it can turn quickly against them.

Hence, Mumbai’s approach on the day fixated on batting for long hauls and in the process taking the game as far away from the opposition as possible.

Resuming at 58, Rahane began positively with a four but became a victim of left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey (5/144) for the second time in the contest. Rahane was caught behind for 73 off 143 balls with five fours and a six after Dubey found an outside edge off the Mumbai skipper’s bat, collected well by his counterpart Akshay Wadkar behind the wickets.

Iyer joined his captain Rahane in making the most of the opportunity. Lofting a six over Vidarbha pacer Aditya Thakare’s head was the shot that Iyer began with, and he went on to make a 111-ball 95 tha featured 10 fours and three sixes.

With Iyer accelerating from the other end, Musheer too appeared busier than before. The 19-year-old was accurate in finding gaps to collect singles and doubles with ease but at the same time, sticking with his cautious approach.

Having cracked 203 not out and 55 in the knockout contests of the tournament this year, Musheer once again proved to be the glue in Mumbai’s batting order as his 474-minute stay in the middle also worked in favour of the team. — PTI

Brief scores: Mumbai: 224 & 418 in 130.2 overs (Musheer 136, Iyer 95, Rahane 73; Harsh 5/144, Yash 3/79) vs Vidarbha: 105 & 10/0 in 2 overs (Taide 3*, Shorey 7*).