Mumbai’s batters put on a dominant display in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Odisha, posting a mammoth total of 602 for four before their bowlers tightened the noose around the visitors’ neck.
Shreyas Iyer and Siddhesh Lad were the stars of the show for Mumbai, forging a record-breaking fourth-wicket partnership of 354 runs. Iyer, known for his aggressive batting, smashed 24 fours and nine sixes in his innings of 233, while Lad played a more patient role, contributing 169 not out with 17 fours.
The duo’s partnership was the highest fourth-wicket stand for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, surpassing the previous record of 336 set by Wasim Jaffer and Amol Muzumdar in 2006. It also marked the first time that two Mumbai batters had scored double centuries in the same innings of a Ranji Trophy match.
Mumbai’s innings was further boosted by a cameo from Suryansh Shedge, who smashed 79 not out off just 36 balls, including seven fours and six sixes. The declaration came 20 minutes after lunch, with Mumbai’s total standing at an imposing 602 for four.
Odisha’s bowlers struggled to contain Mumbai’s onslaught, with only Himanshu Singh extracting some bounce and turn from the pitch. Singh picked up two wickets, while Suryakant Samantray and Debabrata Pradhan claimed one each.
In response, Odisha’s openers Anurag Sarangi and Swastik Samal made a steady start, putting on 39 runs for the first wicket. However, Shardul Thakur broke the partnership by dismissing Samal for a duck.
Sarangi and Govinda Poddar then added 39 runs for the second wicket before Himanshu struck again, trapping Sarangi lbw for 39. The dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, as Mumbai picked up three wickets for two runs in 16 balls.
Odisha’s innings was eventually halted at 146 for five, with Sandeep Pattanaik (73 not out) providing some resistance. The onus will be on Pattanaik to stretch the innings on the third morning and wear out Mumbai’s four specialist bowlers as much as possible.
