Ranji Trophy: Vidarbha, Gujarat, Mumbai cruise into semifinals with emphatic wins

There has been much to cheer for Vidarbha, Gujarat and defending champions Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy this season.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

The three teams booked their seats in the semifinals of the ongoing Ranji Trophy, with Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir fighting for the final spot.

In the first quarter-final, despite losing their footing in the first innings, Mumbai showed their champion mentality and effortlessly bounced back to confirm Haryana's exit from the tournament.

Royston Dias bamboozled Haryana batters with his left-arm seam and lifted Mumbai to a 152-run victory at the historic Eden Gardens. The first clash of the final eight began with Mumbai crumbling in front of Haryana pacers on a hazy morning of Day 1. For the first 30 overs, Mumbai were forced to sit and witness a horror show from the batters. The star-studded line-up, including Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane, returned to the dressing room without making much of an impact. Mumbai were reeling at 113/7 after group-stage hero Shardul Thakur's dismissal. But once again, Mumbai's lower order played the hero's part and came to the rescue. Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani patiently dealt with the pacers to force an unprecedented comeback.