Mumbai spinners spark RoI collapse to lay one hand on Irani Cup

LUCKNOW: Seasoned spin duo of Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian became catalysts of Rest of India’s sudden middle-order collapse that saw it lose six wickets for only 23 runs here Friday, putting Mumbai within sniffing distance of an Irani Cup triumph despite Abhimanyu Easwaran’s heroic 191.

In reply to Mumbai’s first innings score of 537, RoI was cruising along at 393 for 4, riding on Easwaran and Test team’s second keeper Dhruv Jurel’s (93) 165-run stand for the fifth wicket.

However, left-arm spinner Mulani (3/122 in 40 overs) broke Rest’s resistance with quick dismissals of the two set batters in a space of 10 minutes to give the match a decisive turn on the fourth day.

Off-spinner Kotian (3/101 in 27 overs) then polished off the tail as RoI was all out for 416, handing a 121-run first innings lead to Mumbai.

Prithvi Shaw (76 off 105 balls) then came out all guns blazing as the ball started turning square with Mumbai finishing the day at 153 for 6 with an overall lead of 274.

RoI off-spinner Saransh Jain (4/67 in 18 overs) and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar (2/40 in 17 overs) looked way more menacing in the second essay with a lot of deliveries keeping low along with appreciable turn on offer.

On a track which looked like a batting paradise for better part of the first three days, 12 wickets fell on Day 4 with spinners accounting for 11 of them.

Survival is extremely difficult and even if Rest chases something in the range of 325 in 75 overs, it will be an uphill task to face Mulani and Kotian on an abrasive surface where one needs to put the ball in right areas, allowing the track to do the rest.

Saransh, who plays domestic cricket for Madhya Pradesh, isn’t known to be a big turner of the ball but uses his height to get bounce. However, during the last two sessions, he was getting to turn deliveries at right angles.

Shaw’s innings will be worth much more as he understood that survival is difficult on a fourth day track and attacked relentlessly in the first few overs.

Brief scores: Mumbai 537 & 153/6 in 40 overs (P Shaw 76, S Jain 4/67) vs Rest Of India 416 in 110 overs (A Easwaran 191, D Jurel 93, T Kotian 3/101, S Mulani 3/122)