Saurashtra in complete control against Mumbai

Rajkot: Saurashtra piled up a huge 580 for nine declared in their first innings before reducing Mumbai to 19 for two to gain an upper hand on the second day of their Group A Ranji Trophy Elite division match on Wednesday.

Riding on a solid batting effort, that includes opener Bhushan Chauhan`s career-best 157, Saurashtra added another 336 runs to their overnight score of 244 for two to post a mammoth first innings total. In reply, Mumbai lost opener Sushant Marathe (0) and one down batsman Abhishek Nayar (6) early to find themselves in deep trouble at stumps. Kaustubh Pawar was unbeaten at the crease on eight. Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat and Sandip Maniar shared two Mumbai wickets between them, giving away 13 and four runs, respectively. Earlier, overnight batsmen Chauhan started from where he left yesterday and added another 70 runs to his personal score before he was caught by Shah off left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah. Apart from Chauhan, captain Jaydev Shah (78), Shitanshu Kotak (59), Maniar (43 not out) and Kamlesh Makvana (31) also chipped in with useful contributions with the bat for the home team. Burly off-spinner Romesh Powar was the most successful bowler for Mumbai with figures of four for 176, while Zaheer Khan (3/82), who is playing Ranji Trophy matches to prove his fitness ahead of the upcoming Australia tour, also found himself among wickets. Abdullah accounted for the other two Saurashtra wickets giving away 103 runs. Brief Scores: Saurashtra 1st innings (Overnight 244 for 2): 580 for nine decl in 170 overs (Bhushan Chauhan 157, Jaydev Shah 78, Shitanshu Kotak 59; Romesh Powar 4/176, Zaheer Khan 3/82). Mumbai 1st innings: 19 for two in 5.4 overs (Kaustubh Pawar batting 8; Sandip Maniar 1/4). PTI