Shreyas Iyer marked his return from a week’s rest emphatically, scoring an unbeaten 152 as Mumbai piled on the runs against Odisha on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group match at the Wankhede Stadium. Iyer, who had missed Mumbai’s last match against Tripura, showed no signs of rust as he led Mumbai’s charge to a dominant 385 for 3 at stumps.
The highlight of Iyer’s blistering knock was his aggressive stroke play, which saw him rack up 152 off just 165 balls, with 18 boundaries and 4 sixes. His partnership with Siddhesh Lad (116), which remained unbroken at the close of play, added a massive 231 runs. The duo shared a patient but powerful stand that frustrated Odisha’s bowlers and kept the momentum firmly with Mumbai.
Mumbai’s innings started with promise, but not without early setbacks. Angkrish Raghuvanshi was unlucky to be dismissed for 92 after being bowled by Bipul Samantray. Rahane also fell for a first-ball duck, becoming another victim of Samantray’s accurate bowling. Despite the early jolts, Iyer and Lad steadied the ship, dominating the second half of the day’s play and taking Mumbai to a commanding position.
Other Matches Round-Up
In other matches, Assam hosted Tamil Nadu in a closely contested affair where Tamil Nadu ended Day 1 at 299 for 7. Andre Siddarth C top-scored with 94, while Vijay Shankar made a steady 76. Assam’s bowlers, led by Darshan Rajbongshi and Rahul Singh, each took two wickets, restricting Tamil Nadu’s free-scoring ability.
In Karnataka’s clash with Bengal, the visitors finished Day 1 on a solid 249 for 5. Bengal’s captain Anustup Majumdar played a crucial knock of 101, while Shahbaz Ahmed (54) and Sudip Chatterjee (55) continued to frustrate Karnataka’s bowlers. Vasuki Koushik was the pick of the Karnataka bowlers with 3 wickets, but a 100-run partnership between Chatterjee and Majumdar helped Bengal recover from early setbacks.
Madhya Pradesh found themselves in a bit of a spot early against Bihar, but Shubham Sharma (134) and Venkatesh Iyer (118) guided their team to 381 for 4 by stumps. The pair put on a remarkable 234-run unbroken stand after MP was reduced to 147 for 4. Venkatesh’s power-hitting, including four sixes, lifted the visitors as they finished the day on a high.
In Haryana’s clash with Punjab, the day was dominated by the bowlers. Punjab bowled out Haryana for just 114, with Jassinder Singh (4-33) and Emanjot Singh Chahal (3-43) leading the charge. However, Punjab’s batting faltered in reply as they limped to 90 for 5 by stumps, leaving them with plenty of work to do on Day 2.
Kerala found themselves in a strong position after bowling out Uttar Pradesh for a meager 162, thanks to a brilliant five-wicket haul from Jalaj Saxena. Kerala’s openers, despite early dismissals, were steady at 82 for 2, trailing by just 80 runs heading into the second day.
In Chandigarh’s encounter with Delhi, left-arm spinner Nishunk Birla made an impact, picking up 6 for 72 to dismiss Delhi for 276. Despite a valiant 121 from Yash Dhull, Delhi could not capitalize on starts from other players. Chandigarh, in reply, reached 63 for 1 by stumps, with a solid partnership between Manan Vohra and Shivam Bhambri.
Meanwhile, in the Plate Group, Goa continued their impressive form, finishing Day 1 at 322 for 3, led by a magnificent 135 from Snehal Kauthankar. Goa’s dominance was further underlined by valuable contributions from Manthan Khutkar (95) and Deepraj Gaonkar (50). Mizoram struggled to contain the scoring rate, despite KC Cariappa’s two-wicket haul.
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In another Plate Group match, Nagaland made inroads into Sikkim’s batting line-up, reducing them to 157 for 7 by the close of play. Dip Borah was the standout bowler for Nagaland, claiming 4 wickets for 18 runs, while Sikkim’s Ashish Thapa (57) was the lone resistance.
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