The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Mumbai posts a big total

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Friday, Nov 25, 2005

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Sport - Cricket

Mumbai posts a big total

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Aakash Chopra has his task cut out. To play the lead role in Delhi's response to a stiff first innings target of 552 set by Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group match at the Ferozeshah Kotla here. When bad light ended play on Thursday, Delhi, amidst some enthusiastic appealing by the Mumbai seamers, had survived 70 minutes of agony without any damage with Chopra and a tentative Varun Kumar living to carry the battle into the third day.

Mumbai, which resumed at 329 for two, had reasons to smile. Despite losing Amol Muzumdar early in the day, he added just two more runs today, it strengthened its grip through Wasim Jaffer, who added 61 runs to his overnight score, and veteran Nishit Shetty, who made a significant contribution with his bat.

After left-arm seamer Kuunal Lall, the best Delhi bowler on view, removed Muzumdar, ending his 313-run stand with Jaffer, the home team did back itself to tame the opposition. But the attack was blunted by the belligerent Jaffer and a confident Shetty, the latter making a valuable 87 (off 136 balls, with 9X4) that stood out for sheer discipline.

But for Shetty, the Mumbai innings would have lost direction after Jaffer holed out to long-on for a brilliant 267 (364 balls, 38X4, 3X6). Jaffer's prize scalp apart, Sarandeep Singh was a shadow of the wily off-spinner that he was a few years ago.

Minor collapse

Jaffer's departure brought about a minor collapse as Onkar Khanvilkar was run out to a poor call by Shetty and leg-spinner Chetnya Nanda justified his inclusion by picking four wickets, including the free-stroking Ramesh Powar.

Delhi skipper Amit Bhandari, struggling to find the desired line and length, for once got his act right when he induced an edge to snare Shetty.

"I'm happy with the batting and liked the way our seamers hustled the Delhi openers," said Mumbai coach Karsan Ghavri. The Delhi camp too would have noticed this point, making Chopra, looking good in his 59-ball essay this evening, the key factor in the battle for the first-innings honours on Thursday.

The scores: Mumbai — 1st innings: Vinayak Mane c Chawla b Lall 7, Wasim Jaffer c Chopra b Sarandeep 267, Vineet Indulkar c Varun b Lall 4, Amol Muzumdar lbw b Lall 95, Nishit Shetty c Chawla b Bhandari 87, Onkar Khanvilkar (run out) 12, Ramesh Powar c and b Nanda 18, Vinayak Sawant lbw b Nanda 2, Nilesh Kulkarni c Manhas b Nanda 23, Usman Malvi b Nanda 7, Avishkar Salvi (not out) 1; Extras (b-4, lb-7, nb-17) 28. Total (all out, in 147.5 overs) 551.

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-23, 3-336, 4-438, 5-461, 6-503, 7-507, 8-531, 9-549.

Delhi bowling: Amit Bhandari 28-3-111-1, Kuunal Lall 26-6-84-3, Chetnya Nanda 38.5-8-108-4, Sarandeep Singh 39-2-165-1, Abhinav Bali 7-1-44-0, Rajat Bhatia 9-2-28-0.

Delhi — 1st innings: Aakash Chopra (batting) 16, Varun Kumar (batting) 12; Extras (b-2, lb-1, nb-8, w-1) 12. Total (for no loss, in 16.1 overs) 40. Mumbai bowling: Salvi 7-0-25-0, Malvi 5-1-12-0, Powar 2.1-2-0-0, Shetty 1-1-0-0, Kulkarni 1-1-0-0.

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