Ranji Trophy final: Rahane, Musheer put Mumbai in command against Vidarbha

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane bucked the trend of poor scores with a timely unbeaten 58 as Mumbai took a 260run lead against Vidarbha at close on day two of the Ranji Trophy final on MondayWhile young Musheer Khan reined in his aggression to make a gritty 51 not out Rahane negotiated the Vidarbha bowling attack with utmost patience and precision to put Mumbai who are aiming for a record 42nd Ranji title in pole position At stumps the hosts were 141 for 2 in their second inningsHaving being shot out for a meagre 224 in the first innings on the first day Mumbai came roaring back in the first session to take a 119run lead as Vidarbha resuming at 313 were dismissed for 105 in the first inningsRahane and Musheer came together after Mumbai lost openers Prithvi Shaw 11 and Bhupen Lalwani 18 early in their second dig with the game delicately placed shortly after lunchShaw was cleaned up when Yash Thakur got one to nip back as the ball sneaked between the India players bat and pads Lalwani was caught at midwicket off Harsh Dubey 146Old warhorse Rahane and Musheer were clinical as they frustrated the opposition for more than three hours to ensure the game tilted heavily in their favour when stumps were drawnAlso ReadMumbais lsquoRanjirsquo dynastyRahane who has averaged just 12 runs this season began cautiously but grew in confidence to bring up only his second fifty of the tournament reaching 58 not out off 109 balls with the help of four boundaries and a sixAt the other end Musheer kept committing himself on the front foot meeting most of the deliveries with a dead bat to consume 134 balls for his unbeaten 51 with three foursThe two righthanders took their time to build the unbeaten thirdwicket stand of 107 runs from 232 ballsA bit of luck favoured Rahane late in the day when Harsh Dubey pinned the batter in front of the wickets to get an onfield call for a legbefore But Rahane quickly took the DRS which showed the ball had kissed the inside edge of the bat before hitting the padsMusheer followed the teams instruction to a tee by dropping anchor tiring out the opposition bowlersMumbais cause was also aided by the fact that Vidarbhas ace spinner Aditya Sarwate was underbowled owing to an injuryEarlier Vidarbha showed no conviction or game plan as they were skittled out for just 105 in their first essayHaving lost three wickets overnight including two key batters in Dhruv Shorey and Karun Nair Vidarbha began cautiously but failed to stem the slide despite the pitch conducive for battingThe lack of initiative was evident with Vidarbha neither succeeding in striking enough boundaries not being able to rotate the strikeNightwatchman Aditya Thakare 19 off 69 deliveries though performed his role admirably holding one end up while Yash Rathod 27 off 67 balls looked appealingDhawal Kulkarni added one more wicket to his tally to return figures of 315 while Mumbai spinners Shams Mulani 332 and Tanush Kotian 43173 ruled the roost in the first sessionKulkarni bagged the first scalp of the day when he had opener Atharva Taide caught behind for a 60ball 23Mulani persistently troubled a resolute Thakare until he pinned the batter down legbefore ending his 69ball vigilLeftarm spinner Mulani ensured a short stay for Dubey 1 getting him caught batpad which was confirmed by the reviewTanush Kotian had Yash Rathod chopping one onto his wickets The spinner did not waste time in getting Yash Thakur 16 and Umesh Yadav 2 caught by Tushar Deshpande to wrap up the tailRanji Trophy final Brief scores Mumbai 224 amp 1412 in 50 overs Musheer Khan 51 batting Ajinkya Rahane 58 batting Yash Thakur 125 lead Vidarbha 105 in 453 overs Yash Rathod 27 Dhawal Kulkarni 315 Shams Mulani 332 Tanush Kotian 37 by 260 runsWith agency inputs