Finally, it Khan be done!

Sarfaraz rescues Mumbai from probable defeat to Himachal Pradesh in Syed Mushtaq Ali final in Kolkata; maiden Twenty 20 title for 2021-22 Ranji Trophy runners-up

Mumbai, the most successful team in India’s domestic cricket, added the one silverware missing from their trophy cabinet, but not before Himachal Pradesh had given them a scare in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament at the Eden Gardens on Saturday. 

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Sarfaraz Khan, who should have been caught when on 19, survived and soaked in the mounting pressure to help Mumbai over the line with three wickets and three deliveries to spare. He remained unbeaten on a 31-ball 36.

HP work their way to 143-8

Earlier, a 60-run partnership between Akash Vasisht and Ekant Sen pulled Himachal out of a hole and had them posting 143 for 8 from being 58 for six in the 10th over. Skipper Dhawan then provided the early wickets by removing the in-form Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane within the first five overs. When Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal put the innings back on an even keel by adding 41 for the third wicket, Mumbai looked well on their way. But HP kept up relentless pressure with some tight bowling.

Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan continues his fine form this season

Jaiswal was caught for 27 and Iyer fell for 34 while going for a big one. Shivam Dubey and Aman Khan departed in Vaibhav Arora’s final over with Mumbai still needing 28 runs off 19 deliveries. 

Sarfaraz’s lucky escape

When Sarfaraz skied Mayank Dagar, it looked like the end of the road for Mumbai but KD Singh made a mess of the offering. It would prove to be a costly mistake. Tanush Kotian, who had picked up three HP wickets, hung around with Sarfaraz to remain unbeaten on nine. Kotian hit the winning runs by hoisting Rishi Dhawan for a six.

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Mumbai had won a good toss. They didn’t just get the dew factor out of the way but brought the burden of putting up a challenging total on the inexperienced shoulders of Dhawan and his men. Himachal set out on the wrong foot, going hard in their quest for the big start but managing only to lose wickets at frequent intervals. Six, including kingpin Dhawan, were back in the pavilion before the innings had reached the halfway stage. It was left to Vashist and Sen to inspire the resurrection and set a respectable target for Mumbai.

Brief scores
Himachal Pradesh 143-8 in 20 overs  (E Sen 37, A Vasisht 25; T Kotian 3-15, M Avasthi 3-21) lost to Mumbai 146-7 in 19.3 overs (S Khan 36*, S Iyer 34; V Arora 3-27, M Dagar 2-24) by three wickets

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