Mum tested by Andhra

Skipper Rahane gets first-ball duck while SA-return Iyer falls for 48 to end Day One of Ranji tie on 281-6 at BKC

Mumbai batsmen failed to capitalise on a good start, but managed to reach 281-6 at stumps on Day One against Andhra Pradesh in their Elite Group ‘B’ Ranji Trophy match at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Bandra Kurla Complex ground on Friday.

Put into bat, the hosts’ openers Bhupen Lalwani (61, 10x4) and Jay Bista (39, 6x4) batted confidently. However, Bista’s departure, caught by substitute K Ashwin Hebbar off pacer Nitish Kumar Reddy (3-44), put the visitors back in the game. In the next ball, a charged-up Reddy bowled a fuller length, inswinging delivery which trapped Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane leg before for a duck.

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Lalwani dismissed for 61

Lalwani, 24, who reached his second successive half-century of the Ranji season, was looking good to convert his knock into a big one, but could add just seven to his lunch score of 54. Left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan (1-67) broke his defence.  

When No. 5 Shreyas Iyer walked in at the fall of Lalwani’s wicket, 29 minutes after the lunch interval, he needed only four balls to hit his first four—a stylish on-drive off Reddy. A few balls later, he dispatched pacer KV Sasikanth to the fence with a superb straight drive. Though there was a constant attempt from the bowling side to trap Iyer with short-pitched deliveries, he dispatched them to the fence with well-timed pull and hook shots. But Reddy had him caught behind for a 48-ball 48.

No. 4 Suved Parkar (41, 4x4) played a patient knock during his 101-ball stay at the crease, but was trapped LBW by off-spinner Shoaib Md Khan (2-42). 

It was then left to the bowling all-rounders Shams Mulani (30 not out) and Tanush Kotian (31 not out) to put on a meaningful partnership and they did so with an unbeaten stand of 57 runs. 

‘Playing with their patience’

Visakhapatnam-based Reddy, 20, spoke on the team’s thought process while facing up to the Mumbai batsmen. “We first thought of controlling the runs, wanting to see how the batters respond. We played with their patience and we got the first wicket [of Bista]. [Hanuma] Vihari and Ricky [Bhui] told me to bowl an inswinger [to Rahane],”Reddy said.

Mumbai opener Lalwani admitted that they succumbed to Reddy’s plan. “He was quite consistent in his outswing [deliveries]. He’s not very quick, but was trying to play with our patience. And some of us were a bit trapped [by his plans],” Lalwani said.

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