Mumbai endured a dramatic collapse in their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha, losing four wickets in the span of just 11 deliveries to slump from 113 for 2 to 118 for 6 in Nagpur. They ended the day at 188 for 7, trailing Vidarbha by 195 runs.
Left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade, playing only his second first-class match, wreaked havoc in a single over, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shivam Dube. Rahane (18) was the first to fall as the ball trickled onto the stumps off his defensive shot. Suryakumar Yadav followed soon after for a two-ball duck, jabbing at an in-drifter that was caught at silly point on the second attempt. Dube was the third casualty, nicking an angled delivery to slip.
Shams Mulani, the hero of Mumbai’s quarter-final, was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, who secured his 60th wicket of the season—making him only the sixth bowler in Ranji Trophy history to achieve this feat in a single season.
Despite the collapse, Shardul Thakur led a counterattack, stitching a crucial 60-run stand with wicketkeeper Akash Anand. Shardul’s aggressive 41-ball 37 kept Mumbai in the fight before he fell attempting a pull shot off Yash Thakur. Anand, unbeaten on 67, continued to hold the innings together.
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Yash Thakur, who finished with 2 for 56, bowled with intensity, even though his figures didn’t fully reflect his effort. He dismissed Siddhesh Lad with a delivery that held its line to beat the outside edge and should have had Rahane earlier, but a no-ball saved the Mumbai skipper.
Earlier in the day, Vidarbha added 75 runs to their overnight total of 308 for 5, with Yash Rathod scoring a half-century before Mumbai’s Shivam Dube triggered a late collapse. Dube picked up three wickets in three overs, finishing with impressive figures of 5 for 49, his third first-class five-wicket haul.
With Mumbai still trailing by 195 runs, the pressure is on their lower order to mount a comeback against a disciplined Vidarbha bowling attack.
