Ranji Trophy Final Live Score, MUM vs MP: Jaiswal, Sarfaraz dig in after Mumbai loses Jaffer, Parkar after Lunch

Welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy final between Mumbai and Madhya Pradesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

LIVE COMMENTARY

MUM 172/3 in 56 overs: Saransh almost gets another as Sarfaraz is surprised with extra bounce and gloves one to a vacant silly-point. From the other end, Yadav induces Jaiswal’s outside edge with a full one outside off, but the ball runs away to the boundary between the slips. Jaiswal ends the over with a more convincing shot – ramp for four to the third man rope! More extra bounce for Saransh as he gets the ball to rise unexpectedly from a fullish length and hit Jaiswal on the stomach as the left-hander presses forward to defend.

MUM 156/3 in 52 overs: Kartikeya continues keeping it full and doesn’t allow the ball to turn much. He then bowls a short one outside off and Parkar goes on the backfoot to slap it through point for four. A bit of indisciplined bowling from Agrawal as he drifts one into the pads and Parkar is quick to flick it through midwicket for four runs. Just the previous ball he had induced Parkar’s outside edge with a short one outside off that went off the second slip. OUT! Saransh comes into the attack and strikes on the first ball. Parkar gets a leading edge straight to the mid-on fielder as he is too early into the flick with the ball turning in from a length. Suved Parkar c Aditya Shrivastava b Saransh Jain 18(30b 2×4). Mumbai 147/2 in 51 overs. Yadav replaces Agarwal and has Sarfaraz in trouble straight away. He first goes short outside off and gets the ball to move in, and then produces the same movement with a full delivery. Follows it up with a huge appeal for LBW that it turned down. Jaiswal leans into a straight drive through mid-off for a four as Yadav goes too full and straight.

MUM 134/2 in 48 overs: Kartikeya bowls another over riddled with fuller deliveries and it is a maiden. Yadav bowls it a tad fuller after using the short ball ploy in his previous over and keeps it around off-stump. Jaiswal gets to his fifty off 129 balls with a flick to deep midwicket off Kartikeya. Five runs from the Kartikeya over as he goes too straight, occasionally drifting down leg. There is a change in bowling from the other end – Agarwal replaces Yadav. He keeps it on a good length to concede three runs from it.

MUM 125/2 in 44 overs: Kartikeya is back on the field and resumes his spell. OUT! Jaffer presses forward to defend a tossed up ball outside off, goes with hard hands and ends up getting a thick inside edge to the short mid-wicket fielder. Armaan Jaffer c Yash Dubey b Kumar Kartikeya 26(56b, 3×4). Mumbai 120/2 in 41 overs. Yadav has keeps it mostly back of a length to Jaiswal before getting one to sharply jag back into Suved Parkar – the new batter. A loud appeal for LBW but the umpire doesn’t budge – replays suggest that there was some bat on it. Kartikeya concedes just one from the following over, tossing it up. Yadav unleashes a barrage of short balls.

MUM 120/1 in 40 overs: Kartikeya resumes proceedings after Lunch with the ball. He keeps it tight on the stumps in the first over with just a single coming from it – a slap to deep point. From the other end, Yadav darts in a vicious bouncer that rears up and even beats the keeper for one leg-bye. Jaffer rides the bounce and cuts well to deep point for a couple more. Kartikeya has injured his left index finger as Jaiswal steps out and hammers the ball straight over the bowler and Kartikeya leaps up to get to it. He walks off the field after completing his over after conceding four from it. Jaffer hangs back and punches a length ball from Yadav through through covers before going on the front foot next ball to drive through the same region for a couple more. Yadav changes angles the next ball – coming around the wicket to angle the ball across to the right-hander.

MUMBAI 105/1 IN 36 OVERS AT LUNCH (JAISWAL 43*, JAFFER 14*; AGARWAL 1/28)

LUNCH:  Armaan Jaffer plays out a maiden and it’s Lunch. Mumbai’s session that , thanks to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prithvi Shaw. Both got reprieves early on before taking the attack to the MP bowlers. The pacers Agarwal and Yadav tested Shaw but he hung in there before finally being clean bowled for 47. Jaiswal, meanwhile, is nearing his fifty. He has Jaffer for company. Both Mumbai openers were severe on Kumar Kartikeya, not letting him dictate terms. Kartikeya has gone for 35 in his seven overs so far. We will be back for the second session at 12:40.

MUM 105/1 in 35 overs: Gaurav Yadav has replaced Anubhav Agarwal while Kartikeya comes in place of Jain. Yadav went round the stumps to Jaffer, whose defensive prod earned him a four through third man. That brought up the team 100 as well. Jaiswal is approaching his fifty.

MUM 95/1 in 31 overs: Jaffer opened his account with an expansive drive off Agarwal for a couple. He followed it up with a crisp on drive for four. MP conceding easy singles.

GONE! Shaw has been clean bowled by Agarwal! Just moments before lunch, Shaw’s been cleaned up for 47 by one that came in after pitching full. Armaan Jaffer joins Jaiswal.

MUM 83/0 in 27 overs: Change of ends for Agarwal, who replaces Gaurav Yadav. With 803 runs at an average of 133.83, Sarfaraz Khan is this season’s leading run-scorer. He is still in the dugout as his teammates continue to deny the MP bowlers. In five games before the final, Shaw has 264 runs at a modest average of 33. He is nearing his fifty here. Can he go big in the final? Meanwhile, although the boundaries are not coming as frequently, both openers have rotated the strike and clipping and punching ones and twos.

MUM 76/0 in 23 overs: Gaurav continues from over the wicket and hits Shaw on the pads with one that swings in sharply. Going down leg. Gaurav needs to adjust his line to convince umpire Virender Sharma. He is going around the stumps to the left-hander, who is not interested if the ball’s a little wide of off. Jaiswal is happy to leave.

Anubhav Agarwal is back into the attack. Just one over for Kartikeya, who went for 11 in the last over before drinks break. Agarwal went for three in the first over of his new spell. These are ominous signs for MP. They need a breakthrough. Otherwise, with the batting depth Mumbai have, MP could be staring at a tall first-innings total.

Offspinner Jain returns to replace Agarwal after just one over. MP skipper Aditya Shrivatsava rotating his bowlers.

DRINKS BREAK

MUM 65/0 in 19 overs: There has been some early evidence of low bounce, but nothing alarming. Shaw continues to be unsure against pace, being beaten on the outside edge a few times. Agarwal is keeping the right-hander on his toes by bowling full and getting the ball to move sharply. The conditions are ripe for fast bowling. Meanwhile, MP going back to spin from one end as Kartikeya replaces Anubhav Agarwal. And immediately, Shaw goes on the attack: dances down the pitch and slams Kartikeya over long-off for his first six of the match. Next ball, he cuts to deep backward point for four more. Mumbai openers not allowing MP’s spin ace to to settle into an even rhythm.

MUM 52/0 in 16 overs: Jain is taken off. Anubhav Agarwal replaces him. Change of ends for Agarwal. Jain’s first spell: 2-0-6-0. Yadav got the ball to talk in his second over. That has perhaps encouraged the MP skipper to bring medium pace from the other end as well. Agarwal got one to shape into Jaiswal,who is struck on the pads trying to flick. Loud appeal for leg before, but the umpire is not interested. The ball would have missed the leg stump.

Meanwhile, Shaw’s had to contend with the seam and swing that both medium pacers are generating. Hasn’t looked convincing but has hung in there. Jaiswal has been more surefooted so far. He brought up the fifty stand with a boundary to mid-on off Yadav.

MUM 41/0 in 12 overs: Double change. Kartikeya is replaced by off-spinner Saransh Jain while Gaurav Yadav comes in place of Anubhav Agarwal. Just two coming off Jain’s first over, which included an lbw appeal against Jaiswal. He looked to sweep but missed. Not given. Jaiswal though carved a gorgeous drive off Jain in his second over.

Meanwhile, Shaw tried to drive Yadav on the up and the edge flew through the gap between second slip and wide third slip for four. One dot ball later, Shaw plays a much more convincing shot, rides the bounce and cuts nicely behind point for four. Yadav went for eight in his first. MP have gone in with just four genuine bowlers. Calculated risk. We will have to wait and see how that pans out. After a circumspect start, the Mumbai openers are starting to shift gears. Yadav bowled a top-class second over, getting the ball to seam both ways. He is keeping the slip cordon interested.

MUM 26/0 in 8 overs: Another reprieve for Mumbai and this time for Shaw. Kartikeya bowls the quicker arm ball that keeps coming in Shaw, who is late on the forward defence and the inside edge deflects off the pad, and just flies over the short leg fielder. Meanwhile, Jaiswal has taken the attack to Kartikeya – steps out and launches it over long-on for six. Next ball, he rocks back ball and plays a delectable cut for four. Jaiswal is standing a few inches out of his crease, presumably to counter the movement that Anubhav Agarwal is getting with the new ball. Kumar Kartikeya first spell: 4-1-19-0. Anubhav Agarwal first spell: 4-1-7-0.

MUM 12/0 in 4 overs: MP squander a run out chance and a simple one at that. Jaiswal nudged the ball to square leg and took off for a single and was halfway down when he was sent back by Shaw. A better throw from the fielder and Jaiswal was a goner! The ball went wide of the keeper. Complete breakdown in communication. Anubhav Agarwal bowls a maiden.

MUM 12/0 in 3 overs: Kumar Kartikeya continues. Jaiswal on strike. Slip and short leg. Kartikeya to Jaiswal, 1 run. Kartikeya to Shaw, 1 run. Same field for Shaw as well. Leg slip comes in for Jaiswal. MP on the attack. There’s already appreciable turn on offer. Three runs from the over.

MUM 9/0 in 2 overs: Anubhav Agarwal, the right-arm seamer,from the other end. He strays on the pads second ball and Shaw whips it for four. Two slips in place for Shaw. Just a boundary off the over.

MUM 5/0 in 1 over: Left-arm orthodox Kumar Kartikeya to open the bowling, much like the SF vs Bengal. Shaw and Jaiswal at the crease. Slip and silly point in place. Shaw off the mark with a single first ball. Slip and short leg for Jaiswal, who opens the account with a brace. Jaiswal ends the over with a couple. Just five off the first over.

9:00am: Prithvi Shaw has won the toss and Mumbai will bat first. No Puneet Datey for MP. Parth Sahani takes his place, making his first class debut. MP are playing three spinners, two left-arm orthodox. Puneet had a niggle and did not bowl in the fourth innings vs Bengal in Ranji Trophy semifinal. Not sure if it’s a forced change or a strategic move.

We are minutes away from the toss.

8:51am: Mumbai taking on Madhya Pradesh, eyeing a record 42nd title while the latter are gunning for a historic first. Adding spice to the contest is the faceoff between Mumbai’s head coach Amol Muzumdar and MP’s Chandrakant Pandit.

8:45am: Conditions around the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru remain overcast.  Remember, the T20I between India and South Africa at the same venue was washed out. The Ranji semis at Alur and Just Cricket, though interrupted by showers, were completed over five days and one would hope for the same in the final.

Hello and welcome to the final of the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy.

Form Guide (most recent first)

Mumbai: DWWWD

Madhya Pradesh: WWDWW

PREVIEW:

Under low-slung clouds, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was caught between the debris of the past and hopes for the future here on Tuesday. The temporary cubicles and other remnants of the rain-affected T20I on Sunday were cleared while the ground-staff kept an eye on the playing arena.

The T20I between India and South Africa lasted a mere 3.3 overs but there is now the immediate prospect of five days of cricket as the Ranji Trophy final commencing on Wednesday will feature a historical behemoth and a present challenger. Mumbai, champion on 41 occasions, will face off against Madhya Pradesh, which last made the final in the 1998-99 season.

The pitch with its tinge of green may enthuse rival seamers and later the spinners could come into play. Bengaluru’s moody weather, bright sunshine one moment, brooding moisture-laden darkness the next, can affect the best laid plans.

ALSO READ – Amol Muzumdar: ‘Nice to see Gen Next of Indian batsmanship taking over’

Mumbai rode on its batting in the semifinals against Uttar Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh in turn humbled Bengal and Aditya Shrivastava’s men even employed spin from the initial overs. This unit punches above its weight and in coach Chandrakant Pandit, it has a star, who was an insider with Mumbai before he switched to Madhya Pradesh.

The teams (from)

• Mumbai: Prithvi Shaw (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Armaan Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Aakarshit Gomel, Prasad Pawar (wicket-keeper), Hardik Tamore (wicket-keeper), Sairaj Patil, Aman Khan, Shams Mulani, Dhrumil Matkar, Tanush Kotian, Shashank Attarde, Suved Parkar, Tushar Deshpande, Mohit Awasthi, Royston Dias, Siddharth Raut and Musheer Khan. Coach: Amol Muzumdar.
• Madhya Pradesh: Aditya Shrivastava (captain), Yash Dubey, Himanshu Mantri (wicket-keeper), Shubham Sharma, Rajat Patidar, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Saransh Jain, Puneet Datey, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Anubhav Agarwal, Gaurav Yadav, Parth Sahani, Harsh Gawli, Mihir Hirwani, Rahul Batham, Rakesh Thakur, Vikrant Bhadoria, Ankit Sharma, Omkarnath Singh, Kuldeep Sen and Arham Aquil. Coach: Chandrakant Pandit.
• Umpires: Virender Sharma and K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan.
• Match referee: Manu Nayyar.
• Play starts at 9.30 a.m.

Pandit has some old wounds to heal, especially at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. In the 1999 final, he led Madhya Pradesh against Karnataka. Vijay Bharadwaj the batter was in the form of his life but then he used his off-breaks to bundle out the visitor and Pandit believes that he now gets a shot at redemption.

Mumbai would be hoping for a century from its captain Prithvi Shaw, who is yet to strike one this season. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arman Jaffer, Sarfaraz Khan and Suved Parkar have had their vein of form. Seasoned Dhawal Kulkarni helms a pace attack and above all, Mumbai has revealed tenacity, a trait that shines bright in summit clashes. The 2010 Mysore final against Karnataka being a case in point.

Madhya Pradesh with its young batters like Rajat Patidar, Yash Dubey, Akshat Raghuwanshi and Himanshu Mantri and an effective attack with spinner Kumar Kartikeya weaving a web, can test Mumbai. In a season during which their flashy cousins Mumbai Indians struggled in the Indian Premier League, Shaw’s men are keen to prove that in domestic cricket they remain the real deal.

K.C. VIJAYA KUMAR

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