Shams Mulani’s five-wicket haul helped Mumbai steamroll Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 120 runs, sealing a dominant victory on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D clash at the BKC Ground. After posting a commanding 446 in the first innings, Mumbai tore through a fragile Himachal batting line-up twice in as many days to claim their second win of the season.
Himachal, struggling with the bat, were bundled out for just 187 in their first innings on a placid wicket. They showed little improvement in their second innings, being dismissed for a mere 139, with only Pukhraj Mann (65 off 109 balls, 9x4s) showing any resistance.
Resuming at a precarious 94 for 7 in their first innings, Himachal received a much-needed boost from number 10 Vaibhav Arora. His quick-fire 51 off 61 balls, including 7 fours and 4 sixes, gave them some hope, as he added 77 for the ninth wicket with Nikhil Gangta, who remained unbeaten on 64 from 134 balls (8x4s). Despite Arora’s valiant efforts, Himachal were dismissed for 187, conceding a massive 259-run lead.
Asked to follow on, Himachal’s batting woes continued. Mumbai’s Tushar Deshpande struck early, dismissing captain Ankush Bains for a duck, with a catch behind the stumps. Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur then trapped Siddhant Purohit (2) leg before, leaving Himachal reeling at 68/4.
Shams Mulani then made his mark, removing Ankit Kalsi (19) and Ekant Sen (7) to reduce Himachal to 68/4. The visitors briefly found some stability in Mann and Gangta, who put on a 44-run stand either side of the tea break. However, Ayush Mhatre’s introduction proved crucial as he dismissed Mann, caught by Ajinkya Rahane at first slip for his maiden Ranji wicket.
Mulani wrapped up the innings, claiming the final three wickets to complete his five-wicket haul and hand Mumbai a comprehensive victory.
Mumbai’s captain, Shardul Thakur, lauded Mulani for his outstanding performance and expressed hope that the left-arm spinner would eventually receive recognition at the higher level. “India has a lot of talent, and it’s really up to the selectors. The performances Shams is putting up, he will get his due one fine day,” Thakur said after the match.
In other matches, Jammu and Kashmir were 55/2 in their chase of 179 against Delhi. Delhi had been bowled out for 277 in their second innings, collapsing from a strong position of 244/3. Despite solid half-centuries from Ayush Badoni (72) and Ayush Doseja (62), Delhi’s batting faltered once again. Vanshaj Sharma claimed 6/68 for J&K.
In Hyderabad, the hosts reached 198/7 in their second innings, extending their overall lead to 293 runs against Rajasthan. Rajasthan had been bowled out for 269 in their first innings, conceding a 95-run deficit. Hyderabad’s Rahul Singh Gahlaut top-scored with 59.
Meanwhile, in Raipur, Chhattisgarh completed a dominant 10-wicket victory over Pondicherry, claiming a bonus point. After Pondicherry had set a modest 4-run target, they were bowled out for just 175 in their second innings. Aditya Sarwate (4/27), Ashish Chouhan, and Mayank Yadav (2 wickets each) were the standout bowlers for Chhattisgarh.