07 November,2011 10:13 AM IST | | Harit N Joshi
Iqbal Abdulla may not have got a desired start (1-79) in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group opener against Railways, but he compensated for that in Mumbai's second essay.
Delighted: Mumbai's Iqbal Abdulla. File pic
The slow left-arm spinner grabbed three wickets and gave away only 29 runs in 13 overs to help 39-time champions Mumbai to an emphatic 10-wicket win over Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi yesterday.
The 21-year-old claimed the wickets of Railways' skipper Sanjay Bangar (27) and Nitin Bille (34) and also broke the crucial 61-run partnership, which was starting to look dangerous.
Mumbai went for the kill once Shivakant Shukla, who showed some resistance with a patient knock of 77, was caught by Prashant Naik off Ramesh Powar. The three-wicket haul has doubled the joy of Bakri Eid, which will be celebrated today. "Definitely, it will be a more joyous Eid for me.
"I am happy with the way I bowled in the second innings. I hope to improve further as the tournament progresses," Iqbal told MiD DAY, minutes before boarding the flight back to Mumbai.
Following on, Railways were shot out for 244, leaving a target of 18 runs for Mumbai, which they reached in 4.2 overs. Mumbai pocketed six points, including a bonus point for a huge win.
Wasim Jaffer's men bowled out Railways for 256 in the first innings after posting a mammoth 483, courtesy Rohit Sharma's 175 and Suryakumar Yadav's 88. Meanwhile, the remaining six Elite Group matches ended in dull draws.
