Paced out in Mumbai

Mumbai, October 8

Hosts Mumbai took early control of their Ranji Trophy match against Punjab by bundling out the visitors for a meagre 154 in 57 overs on Day One at the Wankhede Stadium here today.

Medium-pacers Shardul Thakur and Balwinder Singh Sandhu continued the good form they showed in the season opener against Andhra at Vizianagaram by sharing eight wickets between them as the Punjab batsmen showed poor application on a track that assisted seam bowling.

Dhawal Kulkarni, the most experienced bowler in the 40-time champions’ line-up, picked up a late wicket while one batsman was run out after Punjab were asked to take first strike by Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare.

In reply, Mumbai lost their openers Shrideep Mungela and Akhil Herwadkar cheaply. But one-down Shreyas Iyer played an attacking, unbeaten knock of 61 off 43 balls with 10 fours and a six to take charge in the company of Suryakumar Yadav (16) and help the hosts finish at a healthy 103 for 2 in 18 overs.

Punjab started in an encouraging fashion when openers Manan Vohra (34) and Jiwanjot Singh (11) kept the Mumbai bowlers at bay for 16 overs, adding 39 for the first wicket. However, once Sandhu got the breakthrough with a one-handed return catch off Jiwanjot, Punjab simply fell apart. At lunch, the visitors were 69 for 3 with skipper Yuvraj Singh at the crease. But soon after the break, he edged to his counterpart Tare behind the stumps off Sandhu. There was a brief period of resistance when Gitansh Khera and Sarbjeet Ladda added 33 runs for the eighth wicket before Mumbai polished off the innings.

Rasool smashes ton

Dharamsala: Jammu and Kashmir rode on skipper Parvez Rasool's unbeaten century to post 274/8 at stumps on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match against hosts Himachal Pradesh here today. Rasool made a strokeful unbeaten 101 off 167 balls, studded with eight boundaries and three sixes, to single-handedly take his team to a respectable total.

Besides Rasool, Ian Dev Singh made 47 and opener Adil Reshi scored 45. While the wickets fell quite regularly from one end, the skipper stood like a rock at the other to hold the innings together.

For Himachal Pradesh, Rishi Dhawan picked up three wickets, while Akash Vasisht scalped two.

Brief scores: Jammu and Kashmir: 274/8 in 90 overs (Parvez Rasool 101 not out; Rishi Dhawan 3/98).

Punjab 154 all out (Manan Vohra 34, Gitansh Khera 32; S Thakur 4 for 47, Balwinder Sandhu 4 form 31). Mumbai 103 for 2 (S Iyer not out 61, S Yadav not out 16). — PTI