Ranji Trophy: Mumbai gain upper hand against UP as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arman Jaffer score tons

Yashasvi Jaiswal

The art of run-making is often underrated. Cricket's not unjustified reputation as a batsman's game is used as a prop to downplay run-scoring, especially in instances where very little competitive interest is left in the game.

There is a reason why Mumbai are the acknowledged powerhouses of domestic cricket. They find ways to challenge themselves, like they had to and did on the penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Uttar Pradesh. Having already opened up a decisive 213-run first-innings lead at the Just Cricket Academy ground, their plan for Day Four centred around occupation of the crease, running the attack to the ground, and raking in the feel-good that tall scores will allow them to take to the final at the M Chinanswamy Stadium next week.

Towards that end, they were brilliantly served by the second-wicket pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Armaan Jaffer, both cut from the same Mumbai cloth of singular focus towards stacking up the runs who drove their team to a close-of-play tally of 449 for four. Both centurions had their moments of concern against an Uttar Pradesh attack that someone summoned the fortitude to threaten in patches, but the bowlers were badly let down for the second straight innings as four reprieves were offered on Friday.

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Armaan Jaffer

Jaiswal, who had made an exact 100 in the first innings after being put down twice, became the ninth Mumbai batsman to make centuries in both innings of a Ranji game by batting for nine hours in making 181, by a distance his highest first-class score. Dropped early in the day, on 40, by Madhav Kaushik off Shivam Mavi, he refused to look a gift horse in the mouth. His driving was crisp, the tucks off his hips uncomplicated; off the back foot, he packed quite a punch and filled his boots when he was given a second lifeline, Yash Dayal overstepping and therefore forfeiting success after forcing the left-hander to edge behind when 143.

Jaffer, organised and as elegant as his uncle and former India opener Wasim Jaffer, matched his partner stroke for attractive stroke during a second-wicket alliance of 286, off 517 deliveries. Let off on 67 and 71, he zeroed in on three-figures inexorably. His unhurried style and compactness belied the fact that he was playing just his eighth first-class game, though he made his debut as far back as in October 2016 when only 17.

UP's first success came in the day's 65th over when Jaffer (127) was smartly caught down leg by substitute 'keeper Aryan Juyal. Suved Parkar didn't last long and Jaiswal's marathon 372-ball vigil finally ended when an ungainly hoick put up a skier for Juyal's second catch and Prince Yadav's second wicket.