Clearly, Bhargav Bhatt loves giving sleepless nights to Mumbai, who clearly struggle against quality left-arm spin on a turning track. In two Ranji Trophy matches against the defending champions this year, the seasoned left-arm spinner has taken 24 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls.
At the Mumbai Cricket Association's ground in BKC in February this year, the 34-year-old had taken seven wickets in each innings (7-112 & 7-200) in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Mumbai, but a Musheer Khan double hundred denied Baroda a win.
However, on Day Four of their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match at the Kotambi International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara, this time, Bhatt, proving to be virtually unplayable on a wicket that offered him generous turn and bounce on the last day of the match, did bowl Baroda to a famous 84-run victory, pinning a disappointing Mumbai, who were all out for 177, on the mat with a devastating spell of six for 55 in 19.4 overs. Having taken four for 53 in the first innings, he thus finished with a brilliant, match-winning haul of 10 for 108, and deservedly won the Player of the Match award, while spoiling Mumbai's start to their title defence.
Having allowed Baroda to wriggle out of jail in both the innings-they had reduced them to 90 for five on Day One and 41 for six in the second innings, Mumbai, who were celebrating their winning the Irani Cup will have a lot of soul-searching to do after this defeat. The 42-time Ranji champions must now quickly regroup themselves and will hope to bounce back from this setback when they play neighbours Maharashtra in a Maharashtra derby, in what will be the domestic giants' first home Ranji Trophy match of the season, from October 18 at the MCA ground in BKC.
Chasing 262-220 on the last day with eight wickets in hand-a listless Mumbai, in a stunning collapse, lost all eight sticks in the first session itself, for merely 135 runs, to fold up for 177 in 48.2 overs. The only Mumbai batsman who stood out amongst the ruins was Siddhesh Lad, who scored a gallant half-century (59, 94b, 6x4, 1x6), before he was the last man out, caught and bowled by Bhatt, who threw the ball above in sheer delight.
A journeyman on the domestic circuit, Bhatt, who once played for the Punjab Kings in the IPL, has now taken 345 wickets in 86 first-class matches, with 19 five-wicket hauls. On Monday, Mumbai were missing captain Krunal Pandya's services as the left-arm spinning allrounder was injured and couldn't bowl.
However, Bhatt rose to the occasion in grand style, giving Barida the first, big breakthrough of the day when he trapped Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane (12) lbw as the batter lunged forward. Out for a duck in the first innings, Shreyas Iyer reverse swept the first ball that he faced for a four, but succumbed to Bhatt for the second time in the match, caught in the slips after a 30-run cameo off 37 balls, which included three fours. In between, teenaged opener Ayush Mhatre (22) was bowled by a quicker one from Bhatt.
Bhatt then scalped Shams Mulani (12), who was caught at leg slip while trying to sweep the spinner, and Sharduk Thakur (8). Even though he had too much to do, Mumbai would have had big hopes from Irani Cup centurion Tanush Kotian (1), but failing for once, he was caught and bowled by part-time off-spinner Jyotsnil Singh, in what was a case of a 'soft dismissal.'
