Muzumdar completed his 13th Ranji ton

Bahutule played a captain’s knock

Chennai: Amol Muzumdar scored an unbeaten 119 as Mumbai took a huge 219-run first innings lead to move to an enviable position on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

At stumps, skipper Sairaj Bahutule was unbeaten on 64 with Muzumdar as the visitors ended the day at 513 for five, giving no respite to the Tamil Nadu bowlers who tasted limited success in the first two sessions on a flat track.

Muzumdar, who scored his 13th Ranji century, was involved in two big partnerships, adding 131 runs with Bahutule for the unbroken sixth wicket and 113 with Vinod Kambli (55) for the fourth.

The hosts seemed to have got themselves back into the match, taking three quick wickets.

Openers Wasim Jaffer (133, 272 balls, 21 fours) and Vinayak Mane (106, 243 balls, 14 fours) and Bhavin Thakkar (9) fell in the first hour. Mumbai lost Kambli and Manoj Joglekar (0) in session after lunch.

Muzumdar, who completed his second hundred of the season facing 196 balls in 314 minutes, and Bahutule showed great determination and went after the bowlers, particularly in the last session. They scored 126 runs off just 31 overs after tea to keep their team on course for its 36th Ranji title.

For the home team, skipper S. Suresh (2/67) provided the first breakthrough by removing Jaffer and then got rid of Mane, exploiting the morning conditions with his medium-pacers.

Part-time spinner S. Badrinath (2/51) took the wickets of Kambli and Joglekar. Besides, C. Ganapathy, other frontline bowlers failed to take a wicket on the placid track.

Mumbai surpassed the home team’s total in the 17th over of the day with Kambli and Muzumdar batting.

Kambli, who survived a confident appeal for catch by a diving V. Sivaramakrishnan at second slip off Ganapathy when on two, scored his 50 off 91 balls with seven hits to the fence.

Soon after, Muzumdar too crossed his half-century as the pair raised the 100-run partnership for the fourth wicket in 134 minutes off 191 balls before Kambli was caught, trying to cut Ganapathy.

Joglekar then made his exit after facing ten balls giving the tormented Tamil Nadu bowling attack some hopes of restricting the defending champions to a reasonable score.

But, Muzumdar and Bahutule played positively, hitting some breathtaking shots as Mumbai crossed the 400-run mark in the 143rd over. Muzumdar, who was severe on the bowlers as he raced to his 100 with a cracking cover drive and an on-drive off Ganapathy.

Earlier in the same over, Tamil Nadu appealed strongly for caught behind when Muzumdar flashed outside the off stump. This led to some heated exchanges between the rival players, forcing the umpires to intervene.

With the batsmen on the offensive, Suresh made a flurry of bowling changes, but the two proved unstoppable. Muzumdar unleashed a stinging attack on Badrinath, dispatching him to the mid-off fence and for a six on the on-side in successive balls.

Soon, Bahutule, who hoisted spinner R. Ramkumar for a flat six over mid-wicket, reached his 50 with a cover drive off Sriram in the 164th over.

(PTI)