Ranji Trophy: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ankit Bawne tons may go in vain as Maharashtra struggle

Defending champions Mumbai closed in on an outright win despite fine hundreds by Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and seasoned middle-order batter Ankit Bawne on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match here on Sunday.

Maharashtra were all out for 388 in their second innings, leaving Mumbai with a victory target of 74 with a full day’s play left in the game.

At 13 for no loss at stumps, Mumbai were just 61 away from victory with openers Prithvi Shaw and Ayush Mhatre batting on 7 and 6 respectively.

Bawne struck a terrific hundred (101 off 152 balls) after Gaikwad responded with a century of his own after his first-innings failure but these efforts were not enough to make up for their forgettable outing with the bat on the opening day when the visiting side was bundled out for 126.

Star player Gaikwad, who was out for a two-ball duck in the first essay in a team total of 126, led Maharashtra’s charge with a 145-run knock that came off 171 balls, while Bawne, who made his debut way back in 2007 as a 15-year-old, also shone after missing out in the last outing.

Aniket takes 5-wicket haul

Left-arm pacer Aniket Choudhary took a five-wicket haul as Rajasthan romped to an eight-wicket win over Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy Group B game here on Sunday. Resuming overnight at 147 for two after following on, Himachal ended up with 260 in their second innings to avoid an innings defeat. Set a tiny target of 25, Rajasthan completed victory in 5.2 overs.