Deshpande’s 6 wickets help Mumbai take lead
Young pacer Tushar Deshpande recorded his careerbest figures of 6 for 70 to help Mumbai earn a sizeable first innings lead against Railways on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Group ‘A’ encounter here on Saturday. Deshpande’s second fivewicket haul in first-class cricket saw Mumbai dismiss Railways for 307 in their first innings thereby taking a 104run lead.
At stumps, Mumbai were 57 for 2, consolidating their overall lead to 161 going into the final day of the opening round clash. However credit should be given to Railways lower-order batsmen, who were instrumental in taking the team past 300-run mark and eating into Mumbai’s time to register an outright win.
It will be interesting if Mumbai captain Dhawal Kulkarni opts for a sporting declaration in his bid to get full points from the match. Starting the day at 115 for six, Arindam Ghosh (71, 197 balls) and Harsh Tyagi (39, 142 balls) added 58 runs in 28.4 overs for the seventh wicket.
However Ghosh was trapped leg-before by left-arm spinner Karsh Kothari (1/42 in 15 overs), leaving Railways reeling at 173 for 7. Avinash Yadav (48) and Tyagi added another 65 runs for the eighth wicket before both batsmen were dismissed in quick succession by Deshpande, who completed his five-wicket haul after the second new ball was taken.
At 241 for 9, Madhur Khatri (29) and Anureet Singh (38) added 66 runs for the final wicket to take Railways past the 300-run mark before Deshpande wrapped up the innings with his sixth wicket. Having ensured at least three points by virtue of first innings lead, Mumbai didn’t force pace in their second innings reaching 57 in 25 overs. Left-handed opener Akhil Herwadkar (24 batting, 71 balls) took his time and now has Siddhesh Lad (13 batting) for company. showed remarkable turnaround with their three outstation recruits, as they secured seven points, including a bonus, wrapping up the match inside three days.
Uttarakhand and Nagaland also registered bonus point victories over their respective opponents while Meghalaya secured full points against Arunachal Pradesh as all the Plate Group matches got over inside three days.
Having shot out for a paltry 79, Manipur resumed day three with 170 runs in arrears in their second innings as Yashpal and Lakhan Rawat made Sikkim wait for their maiden Ranji win with a 112run third wicket partnership.
But once Lakhan was trapped leg before by Padam Limboo, it all went downhill for Manipur as they folded for 266 in 80.2 overs with outstation recruits — left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma (4-55) and pacer Ishwar Choudhary (3-52) running through the middle-order. Veteran cricketer VVS Laxman has launched the cover of his much-awaited autobiography, “281 and Beyond” via Facebook livestream in association with Star Sports.
The tell-all book, which will hit the stands on November 19, is co-written by sports journalist R Kaushik. Claiming to be a “candid, reflective, and deeply insightful”, the autobiography, as per Laxman, was in his mind since he retired from cricket.
The book tells a “unique yet normal” story of a sportsperson of the country, he said during the cover launch on Friday night. The title of the book has been borrowed from the “Hyderabad stylist’s” fabulous series-turning innings of 281 against Australia at the Eden Gardens in 2001.
“The turning point in my life was the 281 knock. In the book, I have spoken about what led me to play the match and how I was able to get fit in time for the match... my batting with Rahul Dravid on the 4th day, how we built that partnership and more.
“I think that Test series taught us a lot. It gave us a progressive and aggressive mindset that we can do well against anyone in the world,” the cricketer added.
The book, according to the publishers - Westland, would give a peep into Indian cricket’s “dressing-room meltdowns”, Laxman’s “nuances of batting on various pitches”, and then of course, his “learnings with coach John Wright” and the “rocky times under Greg Chappell”, among many other things.
The autobiography will be launched as part of the publishing house’s new imprint, Westland Sport.