Tushar Deshpande continued his rich vein of form with a four-wicket haul as Mumbai bowled Himachal Pradesh out for 140 before reaching 107 for two on the opening day of its Ranji Trophy Group D fixture at the Luhnu Cricket Ground on Sunday.
Coming off a thumping, bonus-point win against Chandigarh, Mumbai picked up from where it had left off. After captain Siddhesh Lad elected to bowl, Deshpande struck with the first ball of the match, trapping Shubham Arora in front of the wicket, before removing the experienced Nehal Wadhera in similar fashion. Having claimed seven wickets, including a hat-trick, in the opener, the pacer showed little sign of slowing down. Mohit Avasthi and Sylvester D’Souza kept the pressure on as Innesh Mahajan also departed cheaply. The surface offered good bounce, which Mumbai’s pacers exploited so well that Shams Mulani did not need to bowl an over. Deshpande eventually removed him as Himachal failed to make its home advantage count.
Captain Pukhraj Mann and Vaibhav Kalta added 66 for the fourth wicket before Tanush Kotian broke the partnership. Akash Vasisht provided late resistance with a 39 off 59 balls (3×4, 3×6) but could not repeat the century he scored against Haryana last week.