Irani Trophy: Bowlers put Rest of India on top against Mumbai
By IANSFriday, October 2, 2009
NAGPUR - Taking advantage of the overcast conditions, bowlers brought back Rest of India into the game as they reduced Mumbai to 200 for six in the first innings at the end of second day’s play in the Irani Trophy at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium here Friday.
At stumps, Vinayak Samant was batting on 25 and Ramesh Powar on 10 as Rest of India still led by 60 runs after pacemen Munaf Patel (3-47) and Sudip Tyagi (2-56) troubled the Mumbai top order. Rest of India were bowled out for 260 runs in the first innings.
Rest of India found themselves on the backfoot at the start of the day after captain Virender Sehwag failed to take the field due to fever. But stand-in captain Subramaniam Badrinath used his bowlers well to be on top after the second day’s play.
Comeback man Sreesanth started with a probing spell and then Munaf and Tyagi ripped apart the Mumbai batting.
Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer scored a gutsy 68 and Ajinkya Rahane made 44 but they failed to convert their good starts into a big innings.
Samant and Powar put up a determined unbroken 40-run partnership for the seventh wicket to reduce the deficit to 60 before bad light stopped play early before scheduled time.
