Left-arm spinner (5-60, 50) stars in stunning comeback win over Goa; Kotian's 98 proves crucial too
Even going by Mumbai's rich history of recording comeback wins, this must rank among the top five, even though it didn't come against a big team.
After scoring crucial half-centuries and sharing a 116-run match-turning partnership for the eighth wicket, spinners Shams Mulani (5-60 in 22 overs) who took his third successive five-wicket haul in an innings and Tanush Kotian (3-29) fired with the ball too, taking eight wickets between them to decimate Goa, chasing 232 in 62 overs, for merely 112 in 44 overs on the final day. The duo's sizzling show with bat and ball helped Mumbai record a sensational come-from-behind 119-run victory over Goa in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Crucially for Mumbai, the incredible win, which looked impossible after they had conceded a 167-run lead to Goa in the first-ever Ranji Trophy match between both the coastal cities, helped them net six points. With nine points in two games, they are now topping their pool, but in order to make it to the Ranji knockouts, they now must score an outright win over Odisha too in their last league game, which will commence on March 3. Having thrashed Odisha by an innings and 131 runs, Saurashtra, with eight points, are trailing only slightly behind Mumbai, and play Goa next.
"It was a complete team effort. We had lost to Goa on all the three days, but when our lead crossed 160, I and the bowlers were confident that we will pull it off. It was a tremendous effort from the guys," a modest Mulani told TOI from Ahmedabad.
Besides scoring 50 (136b, 4x4) and sharing a critical alliance with Kotian, who missed out on his maiden First-Class century by just two runs when he was out for 98 (163b, 8x4, 1x6), Mulani, having taken six for 107 in the first innings, finished the match with fabulous figures of 11 for 167. Along with Kotian, the
24-year-old left-arm spinner was the main architect of the memorable win. "There are games when you go without wickets and then there are games like this where you bowl and seem to pick up wickets almost every over. I think it's all about being patient and keeping the good work going," said Mulani.
That this performance came on the back of a match haul of 11 for 169 in the opening game against Saurashtra tells you the kind of dream run that the youngster is enjoying with both bat and ball in the Ranji Trophy this season. After the first two games of the tournament, Mulani, with 22 wickets @15. 27, has emerged as the leading wicket-taker.
"It's an amazing feeling (to be the country's top wicket-taker inn the Ranji Trophy), but there is still work to do. I'm in good rhythm and am getting a lot of support from my teammates and coaches," said Mulani.
He has bowled 118.4 overs so far, 60 overs against Saurashtra and 58.4 overs against Goa.
On Sunday, Mulani, who took the new ball with Dhawal Kulkarni, bagged the wickets of opener Amogh Desai (10, caught superbly by Sachin Yadav at silly point), Suyash Prabhudessai (1, stumped), Shubham Ranjane (10), Shrikanth Wagh (14) and Lakshaya Garg (0). Kotian's off-spin fetched him the scalps of Darshan Misal (14), Eknath Kerkar and last man Amit Yadav. Kulkarni made vital breakthroughs by dismissing both opener Sumiran Amonkar and Goa skipper Snehal Kauthankar (4) lbw. In the morning, Kotian's lionhearted knock ensured that Mumbai, desperate for an outright win in this clash, declared at 395 for nine to leave Goa with an enticing target to get in the last two sessions of the match.
