Yashasvi Jaiswal was among the runs again as Mumbai got to 248/5 at stumps on day one of their Ranji Trophy final against Madhya Pradesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, Mumbai, chasing a record-extending 42nd title, got a strong opening partnership of 87 runs thanks to Jaiswal and skipper Prithvi Shaw (47 off 79).
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Jaiswal, who scored centuries in both innings of Mumbai’s semifinal victory against Uttar Pradesh was in good touch once again. He scored a patient 163-ball 78 but couldn’t get a third ton on the trot and was dismissed by right-arm medium pacer Anubhav Agarwal.
Madhya Pradesh, who defeated Bengal in their semifinal clash, made a comeback with the ball after Mumbai’s opening stand. Armaan Jaffer (26) and Suved Parkar (18), in at No 3 and 4 respectively, got starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores.
From 87 for no loss, Mumbai found themselves in a spot of bother at 147/3. Jaiswal then departed with the team’s score being 185. Wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore, replacing the injured Aditya Tare, came to the crease on the back of a century in the semifinals. But the right-hander was dismissed for 24 and Mumbai were again in a tight spot at 228/5.
The in-form right hand-left hand duo of Sarfaraz Khan (40*) and Shams Mulani (12*) then steadied the ship and took Mumbai to stumps in a somewhat promising position. Khan and Mulani will need to start afresh on day two to help their team post a competitive total in order to gain the all-important first innings lead.
For Madhya Pradesh, Agarwal and off-spinner Saransh Jain picked two wickets apiece. Left-arm wrist spinner Kumar Kartikeya opened the bowling once again and went on to bowl a total of 31 overs, claiming the wicket of Jaffer in the 41st over of the innings, while right-arm medium pacer Gaurav Yadav was the fourth and final bowler used on the day and went wicketless in his 23 overs.
