Tamil Nadu were shot out for a mere 146 in the first innings, with Deshpande and Thakur making life miserable for the batters at the BKC Ground. If it was any consolation, Tamil Nadu struck twice with the ball but Mumbai shaved off a significant chunk of the first-innings deficit, reaching 45/2 at stumps to trail by 101 runs. Musheer Khan (24 not out) and nightwatchman Mohit Avasthi (1) were at the crease with Mumbai losing openers Prithvi Shaw (5) and Bhupen Lalwani (15).
The spotlight will be on Shreyas Iyer who will have a point to prove as he will make his return to the Ranji Trophy as he features for Mumbai in their semi-final bout against Tamil Nadu.
Mumbai have made it to the semifinals riding on timely performances from different players barring skipper Ajinkya Rahane, who has just one fifty to show from six matches.
Skipper R Sai Kishore (47 wickets) and fellow left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram (41) are perched atop the list of highest wicket-takers, against whom Iyer and Co. will have a great opportunity to make a strong statement.
Young Musheer Khan’s unbeaten 203 helped Mumbai take a narrow lead, which later ballooned to an impressive 605, thanks to Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande’s heroics against Baroda.
A standout feature in Tamil Nadu’s impressive run this year has been the fact that they have bowled out each of their opponents twice in all Ranji matches this season irrespective of the outcome. Tamil Nadu have also been strengthened by the inclusion of all-rounder Washington Sundar, who has been released from the Indian Test side.
On what is expected to be a batting-friendly surface, Mumbai’s deep batting line-up with Prithvi Shaw and Bhupen Lalwani at the top and all-rounder Shardul Thakur and even Shams Mulani in the lower-order, the hosts will fancy putting up a big score.
For Tamil Nadu, it would be imperative to keep working with their strengths — if Jagadeesan, Indrajith and Pradosh Ranjan Paul form the fulcrum of their batting, seamer Sandeep Warrier has provided adequate support to the spin duo of Sai Kishore and Ajith.
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