Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Mumbai takes large first-innings lead towards Bengal regardless of Majumdar’s unbeaten ton

Suraj Jaiswal added three scalps to complete with a deserving six-wicket haul. Abishek Porel accomplished a uncommon five-catch haul for a wicketkeeper. And Anustup Majumdar, three months shy of turning 40, notched up his sixteenth First Class hundred.

Despite all these particular person accolades, the remainder of the Bengal outfit staged a meek give up as an all-round group effort by Mumbai on the Eden Gardens meant Shivam Dube’s facet was in agency management of the Group B recreation on the midway stage.

Thanks to a last-wicket partnership of 65 runs between Dhawal Kulkarni and Royston Dias, Mumbai completed its first essay at 412 within the morning session. And the prolonged day’s play to make up for the misplaced time on the opening day noticed Bengal’s first innings folding up off the final ball of the day for a paltry 199.

With a sizeable lead of 213 runs and having made incomes bonus factors a behavior within the first half of the Ranji Trophy group stage section, it is not going to be a shock if Mumbai imposes follow-on on Sunday morning in a bid to seal its place within the quarterfinals.

Bengal had a perfect begin to the day, choosing three for 17 within the first half hour, with Jaiswal finishing a fifer after forcing Tanush Kotian and Mohit Avasthi to play the ball on to their stump. In got here final man Dias and the bespectacled left-hander performed a fearless knock to shatter Bengal’s hopes.

READ | Bumrah blows Bazball away in Visakhapatnam Test with career-best figures at house

With veteran Dhawal Kulkarni holding on to an finish, Dias was helped by edges that raced to the fence on both facet of Porel. In between, he timed a couple of so sweetly that it astonished even the top-order Mumbai batters who cheered him from the dressing room. He was helped by butter fingers of the Bengal fielders who dropped two regulation catches at long-off.

The morning that had turned unhealthy from good completed off on a worse notice for Bengal as Mumbai picked three fast wickets earlier than lunch. At 11 for 3, veterans Majumdar and captain Manoj Tiwary had an excessive amount of on their platter to claw their facet into the sport. The duo was in management for effectively over an hour. Soon after Tiwary stretched his hamstring whereas trying a fast single, he was drawn ahead by Dube into an faulty drive to Prithvi Shaw within the slip cordon.

Then on, Majumdar needed to wage a lone battle as Mumbai stored on placing at common intervals.