Haryana fightback to lead by 222 runs with one wicket in hand vs Mumbai on Day 2
People love Sachin Tendulkar. And love, they say, never dies.
When he got out cheaply in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy match on Sunday, fans gathered at the Chaudhari Bansi lal Stadium here were left sad and disappointed, a mass exodus followed. But the crowd was back on Monday to cheer their man.
The majority of spectators who turned up to watch the second day’s proceedings of the match between Mumbai and Haryana, filled up the west end stand. The reasonIJ Tendulkar fielded at long-on throughout Haryana’s second innings. That was the loudest corner of the ground. Every time the master blaster looked towards them, the crowd erupted with joy. He too obliged them with an occasional wave of hand and smile.
Before the start of play on day two, an air of anticipation that Tendulkar might not get to bat again in this match — his last in the Ranji Trophy — engulfed the stadium.
In reply to Haryana’s paltry 134, Mumbai ended day one on 100 for 4. With Ajinkya Rahane batting at 44, the visitors looked set to take a considerably big first innings lead on Monday. But for Joginder Sharma taking his 17th five-wicket haul, it now looks almost a certainty that Tendulkar will get one more opportunity to write his Ranji swansong.
Joginder, who bowled the famous final over in India’s 2007 World Twenty20 victory, went through the Mumbai batting line-up. His 5 for 16 meant that the defending Ranji champions were out for just 136 with a negligible two-run lead. Haryana had hit back strongly as the last six Mumbai batsmen could only add 36 runs.
With no pressure of deficit, Haryana batsmen made amends in their approach in the second innings. With luck favouring them a bit and a creditably good batting led by Sunny Singh (63), the hosts ended the day at 224 for 9.
Considering how menacingly the pitch behaved in the morning sessions of the first two days, Haryana have probably posted a total which will be difficult for Mumbai to achieve, no matter how good a batting line-up they have.
Sunny and Rahul Dewan (44) played the most crucial part for Haryana in this match. Their 85-run second wicket stand, highest in this match so far, denied Mumbai the new ball advantage that their able medium-pacers hoped to get.
Zak is back
However, Mumbai skipper Zaheer Khan and young left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar helped them recover some lost ground towards the end of the day. Both of them together accounted for eight (four wickets each) out of the nine Haryana wickets that fell in the second innings.
Zaheer couldn’t make much of an impact with the new ball but as the ball started to reverse, he yet again showed his mastery of the art. Three of his four scalps came with the old ball.
The lead — 222 runs— isn’t expected to swell much further on Tuesday but more than the lead Mumbai must be thinking about tackling the morning conditions.
However, for the fans, the sooner the first two wickets of Mumbai fall, the better it will be. For, Sachin Tendulkar, their man, bats at No. 4.
Brief Scores
Haryana: 134 and 224/9 (Sunny Singh 63, Jayant Yadav 45; Vishal Dabholkar 4/54, Zaheer Khan 4/59) lead Mumbai: 136 (Ajinkya Rahane 51; Joginder Sharma 5/16, Harshal Patel 2/47) by 222 runs at stumps on Day 2.