The debilitating effect of Mumbai’s lower-order resistance on Tripura was summed up during Mohit Avasthi and Royston Dias’ last-wicket stand, as seven fielders patrolled the boundary to contain the runs, and eventually skipper Mandeep Singh had to bring himself on to break the 39-run partnership with a rank full toss.
The last six wickets yielded 363 runs and Mumbai’s No. 6, 7, 8, 9 struck half-centuries to propel the host to a commanding 450.
Tripura’s riposte was promising before the lanky off-spinner Himanshu Singh breached Bikram Kumar Das’ forward press in his first over to give Mumbai a breakthrough.
Earlier, Himanshu and Shams Mulani didn’t readily offer Tripura a similar opportunity. They built on Suryansh Shedge’s 99, handling the seamers and spinners with ease as Tripura bid its time till the second new ball was due.
Right on cue, Mulani was leg-before with the onset of the new cherry, though he indicated it was missing leg-stump.
After Mulani trudged off and Tripura sniffed an opportunity, Shardul Thakur set the tone for an enterprising knock with a first-ball four, slashing the ball through point.
He made capital of a reprieve on 7, dropped at deep square-leg, and unleashed carnage on left-arm spinner Parvez Sultan with two sixes and a four in one over.
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Though Thakur eventually lost his middle-stump to Parvez, his luck and intent, encapsulated by a sweep off seamer Rana Datta that sailed off a top-edge over fine-leg, had dented Tripura’s morale.
Himanshu played a contrastingly stodgy knock, shuffling outside his crease against the seamers to negate any movement and was still repeatedly beaten outside off-stump.
However, the 21-year-old right-hander didn’t let Mumbai feel the absence of crisis man Tanush Kotian and held on to usher in his maiden First-class fifty with a jab to the square-leg boundary, before Avasthi and Royston extended Tripura’s misery.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai – 1st innings: Total (in 122.4 overs): 450. (Ajinkya Rahane 35, Suryansh Shedge 99, Shams Mulani 71, Himanshu Singh 59, Shardul Thakur 69, Murasingh 3/117)
Tripura – 1st innings: Total (for one wkt. in 19 overs): 60. (Jiwanjot Singh 39*)
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