Ranji Trophy: Ajinkya Rahane Bags Golden Duck, Shreyas Iyer Hits 48 as Mumbai 281/6 at Stumps Against Andhra

Andhra’s 20-year-old seamer Nitish Reddy grabbed 3/20, including the prized-scalps of Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer, to prevent Mumbai from establishing a firm grip in another group B match.

Hosts Mumbai were restricted to 281/6 at stumps.

Reddy dismissed the Mumbai skipper and veteran Indian batter Rahane for a golden duck and then denied Iyer a half-century by two runs in his comeback match.

Returning to the Mumbai XI for the first time in the Ranji Trophy since the 2018-19 season, Iyer entertained with a run-a-ball 48 (7×4).

But Iyer, who struggled for form in the two-match Test series in South Africa, could not convert his start and became the fifth wicket to fall for Mumbai.

The day, however, began with optimism for the 41-time Ranji champions, as their top-order batters aimed to lay a solid foundation after Ricky Bhui opted to bowl.

Opener Jay Bista set the foundation with a gritty innings of 39 runs off 78 balls, but fell to a catch by substitute fielder K Ashwin Hebbar with Reddy breaking the opening stand for 69.

In the very next over, Rahane, who is also returning after sitting out of the opening match due to a stiff neck, was trapped by Reddy.

The other opener Bhupen Lalwani showed resolve to play anchor, notching up 61 runs in 119 balls, displaying a balance of technique and patience in his partnership with Suved Parkar.

But, he was cleaned up by Lalith Mohan, leaving Suved Parkar and Iyer to stabilise Mumbai innings.

Later, Prasad Pawar and Shams Mulani played crucial roles, batting on 30 and 31 respectively to ensure that Mumbai end the day on a positive note, minimizing the damage caused by earlier dismissals.

Brief Scores:

In Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh 60 all out in 20.5 overs (Samarth Singh 13; Mohammed Kaif 4/14, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 3/20, Ishan Porel 2/24) vs Bengal 95 for 5 in 28 overs (Sayan Ghosh 37 batting; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 5/25).

In Mumbai: Mumbai 281 for 6 in 88 overs (Bhupen Lalwani 61, Shreyas Iyer 48, Suved Parkar 41, Shams Mulani 30 batting, Tanush Kotian 31 batting; Nitish Reddy 3/44, Shoaib Md Khan 2/42) vs Andhra.

In Patna: Bihar 108 all out in 38.4 overs (Bipin Saurabh 49; Ravi Kiran 5/21, Vashudev Bareth 3/21) vs Chhattisgarh 90 for 1 in 27 overs (Rishabh Tiwari 42 batting).

In Guwahati: Kerala 141 for 1 in 37 overs (Rohan Kunnummal 83, Krishna Prasad 52 batting) vs Assam.