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Vidarbha continued to exercise control over Mumbai, while Kerala maintained their position in the driver's seat against Gujarat on Day 2 of the ongoing Ranji Trophy semi-finals.
After an all-rounded effort lifted Vidarbha to a mammoth total of 383, Mumbai finally got their turn with the bat. The defending champions lost opener Ayush Mhatre (9) early and found some solace following a 67-run partnership for the second wicket between Akash Anand (67*) and Siddhesh Lad (35). On a hot afternoon in Nagpur, the top-order duo took Mumbai out of a dire situation by leading a fierce fightback. The duo looked in a comfortable spot before Yash Thakur found the much-needed breakthrough. With an inward angling delivery, Yash Thakur burst past Siddhesh's outside edge to send the ball crashing into the stumps. After Yash broke a promising stand, it was a full-scale middle-order collapse and left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade was the mastermind behind it. Mumbai lost four wickets in just 11 deliveries, which left them with an uphill battle for the rest of the final four clash. In his second first-class match, Rekhade weaved magic with his spin and removed Mumbai's star-studded trio of Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube in a single over. Mumbai skipper Rahane was the first to fall for a score of 11, and Suryakumar Yadav followed in his footsteps with a two-ball duck. Shivam Dube was the last to fall after giving away a thick outside edge to Atharva Taide, who was stationed at the first slip. Harsh Dubey saw the opening and decided to add to Mumbai's woes by trapping Shams Mulani (4) in front of the stumps. With a touch of aggression, Shardul Thakur and Anand stitched up a vital 60-run stand. Vidarbha needed a breakthrough, and it was Yash Thakur who did the job for his side yet again. He lured Shardul (37) into pulling the ball away, and the seasoned star accepted the bait but holed it straight into Darshan Nalkande's hands. The day ended with Mumbai tottering at 188/7, trailing by 195 runs. In the other semi-final, Mohammed Azharuddeen struck his second first-class hundred with a stonewalling effort to put Kerala in a position of dominance. Kerala continued to take a cautious approach, while Gujarat continued to push for a breakthrough. Gujarat had an opportunity to remove Azharuddeen at 74 after a shout from LBW. However, they decided to go against reviewing the decision, costing them to miss on a massive moment in the game. Gujarat kept finding breakthroughs, but Kerala bounced back with a resilient stand. After Kerala lost its seventh wicket Azharuddeen and Aditya Sarwate saw off the day with the scoreboard reading 418/7. Azharuddeen stayed unbeaten on 149, just one run shy from achieving a massive milestone in his career. (ANI)
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