A finger injury kept Akash Anand from keeping wickets, but did little to blunt his impact with the bat.
As Mumbai lost its way after Sarfaraz Khan’s commanding daddy hundred, the wicketkeeper-batter stood firm, weathered a flurry of wickets and completed his fourth Firs Class century (117 n.o., 239b, 14×4) to put his side firmly in control against Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy Group D fixture at the Luhnu Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
Resuming at 398 for four, Mumbai would have hoped Sarfaraz could push on towards a double hundred. Instead, his dismissal triggered a slide, with the away team losing four wickets for 59 runs. Despite early strikes from Mohit Avasthi and Sylvester D’Souza, captain Pukhraj Mann and Vaibhav Kalta dug in, stitching together an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 66 to take the contest into the final day.
Akash, however, remained composed, reaching his milestone even as wickets tumbled at the other end. Under a blazing sun, Mumbai’s bowlers struggled to maintain their early pressure. Vikram Rathour, the former India batter, who is now a consultant with Himachal Pradesh, had spent time with the players after Monday’s play. The improved application was evident as the home side battled to stay afloat.