First first-class duck for Tendulkar

This is a record that Sachin Tendulkar would like to forget as soon as possible. The batting maestro scored his first first-class duck in Indian domestic cricket in the Ranji Trophy final against Uttar Pradesh in Hyderabad on Monday morning.

UP's Bhuvneshwar Kumar stole the show from Mumbai's famed batsmen Tendulkar and skipper Wasim Jaffer and in-form Ajinkya Rahane after Mohammed Kaif won the toss and put Mumbai into bat.

Kumar, who bowled 12 overs on the trot on the first morning of the final, helped UP reduce 37-time Ranji champions Mumbai to 97 for four at lunch.

The Kumars, Praveen and Bhuvneshwar, gave UP the kind of start they needed. They managed to move the ball both ways without giving the batsmen any room to free their hands.

Bhuvneshwar could have got Jaffer for a duck, but was lucky to be adjudged not out. The umpire missed a loud edge. After bowling a series of outswingers, he got one to nip in. Jaffer fell over trying to keep it out and was lbw.

Vinayak Samant, the makeshift opener, after a few streaky boundaries too fell to the inswinger, caught in front just like his captain.

Rahane, however, was in for a rude shock. He was give lbw decision to a ball that did not swing in and had clearly pitched outside leg stump. It was a massive blow for Mumbai after losing Jaffer and Rahane, who had already scored more than 1000 runs each in the season, two of only 11 batsmen to do so in Ranji history.

But a major jolt was yet to come. Tendulkar had been solid in leaving balls outside off but in Bhuvneshwar's 10th over one nipped back in, took the inside edge onto the pad, and Shivakant Shukla ran in and dived from short midwicket to stun Mumbai.