Mumbai seal Ranji semi-final date with Services

The result was a foregone conclusion; the fifth day only a formality.

Mumbai sealed a berth in the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy by virtue of the first innings lead against Baroda at the Wankhede stadium on Thursday.

The 39-time champions will play Services, who upset former champions Uttar Pradesh in another quarter-final.

Wasim Jaffer, who aggregated 183 runs in the match, including a Ranji Trophy record-equalling 31st century in the first innings, was named man-of-the-match.

Chasing an improbable 670 to win, the visitors had scored 137 for 3 (42 overs) when the umpires decide to call off the match.

Resuming at the overnight total of 171 for 1, Mumbai added a further 32 runs before the visitors made their first breakthrough for the day, Bhargav Bhatt having Hiken Shah (79) caught by Ambati Rayudu at short fine leg.

Shah's 128-ball knock was inclusive of nine boundaries and a six, and he helped Kaustubh Pawar (115) to put on 155 runs for the second wicket.

Sachin Tendulkar (9) did not last long, Yusuf Pathan atoning for his earlier blemishes (three of them, in fact) to hand Bhatt his second wicket.

First innings centurion Abhishek Nayar (8) followed the Master Blaster back to the pavilion, becoming the first of Ketul Patel's two victims.

Aditya Tare (29) helped Pawar add 53 runs for the fifth wicket, the latter proceeding to complete a well-deserved hundred, to go with his fifty in the opening essay. The 22-year-old's second century of the season was inclusive of a dozen boundaries and two sixes.

However, both of them fell in the space of four balls. Tare was the first to be dismissed, caught by Kedar Devdhar off Bhatt, while Patel had Pawar stumped.

Bhatt was the pick of the Baroda bowlers, with figures of three for 106.

Mumbai declared their second innings at 295 for six, an overall lead of 669.

Baroda began their second innings on a confident note, Saurabh Wakaskar and Aditya Waghmode putting on 101 runs for the opening wicket before the latter was out leg before to Ankeet Chavan.

Waghmode's 81-ball 60 was inclusive of a dozen hits to the fence.

It was Baroda's second century partnership for the opening wicket in the match, the duo having added 102 runs in the first essay before the visitors suffered a batting collapse.

An encore looked likely when Chavan got himself a second wicket shortly after catching Abhimanyu Chauhan (6) off his own bowling.

Two balls later, Vishal Dabholkar had Wakaskar (42) caught by Dhaval Kulkarni at mid-off as the visitors went to tea at 114 for 3 (after 32 overs).

Ambati Rayudu (19 not out) and Kedar Devdhar (six not out) negotiated the remainder of the day.

Scorecard

Mumbai (1st innings):
Wasim Jaffer b Gagandeep 150
Kaustubh Pawar lbw Vahora 8
Hiken Shah c Pathan b Bhatt 9
Sachin Tendulkar b Vahora 108
Dhaval Kulkarni c Shah b Vahora 27
Abhishek Nayar c Shah b Vahora 132
Aditya Tare c Shah b Chauhan 64
Ankeet Chavan c Waghmode b Bhatt 22
Ajit Agarkar not out 52
Javed Khan c Vahora b Bhatt 43
Vishal Dabholkar not out 0
Extras: (3nb, 4wb, 8 b, 15lb) 30
Total (For nine wickets, 204 overs): 645 declared

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-35, 3-269, 4-286, 5-356, 6-479, 7-533, 8-563, 9-636.

Bowling: Murtuza Vahora 48-13-119-4, Gagandeep Singh 43-7-136-2, Bhargav Bhatt 41-3-128-2, Ketul Patel 38-6-139-0, Abhimanyu Chauhan 19-4-53-1, Ambati Rayudu 6-1-18-0, Aditya Waghmode 9-0-29-0.

Baroda (1st innings):
Saurabh Wakaskar c Jaffer b Dabholkar 51
Aditya Waghmode c Tare b Kulkarni 53
Abhimanyu Chauhan b Kulkarni 0
Kedar Devdhar lbw Dabholkar 16
Yusuf Pathan c Kulkarni b Agarkar 21
Pinal Shah c Shah b Dabholkar 11
Ambati Rayudu not out 89
Gagandeep Singh c Pawar b Chavan 1
Ketul Patel st Tare b Chavan 8
Murtuja Vahora b Khan 1
Bhargav Bhatt c Tendulkar b Khan 8
Extras: (8nb, 1w, 1b, 2lb): 12.
Total: (all out, 102.4 overs): 271.

Fall of wickets: 1-102 (38.6 ov), 2-109 (47.1), 3-120 (49.6), 4-150 (56.3), 5-150 (57.1), 6-188 (78.1), 7-197 (81.1), 8-227 (93.6), 9-249 (100.6), 10-271 (102.4)

Bowling: Javed Khan 7.4-1-27-2, Dhawal Kulkarni 20-10-58-2, Abhishek Nayar 8-2-17-0, Ajit Agarkar 12-6-22-1, Ankeet Chavan 20-2-56-2, Vishal Dabholkar 35-11-88-3.

Mumbai (2nd innings): (Overnight 171 for 1):
Wasim Jaffer lbw Rayudu 33
Kaustubh Pawar st Shah b Patel 115
Hiken Shah c Rayudu b Bhatt 79
Sachin Tendulkar c Yusuf b Bhatt 9
Abhishek Nayar c (sub) Gupta b Patel 8
Aditya Tare c Devdhar b Bhatt 27
Ankeet Chavan not out 14
Dhawal Kulkarni not out 2
Extras: (2nb, 5b, 1lb) 8.
Total: (For six wickets, 87 overs) 295 for 6 declared

Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-203, 3-217, 4-226, 5-279, 6-279.

Bowling: Gagandeep Singh Natt 8-1-26-0, Bhargav Bhatt 37-7-106-3, Ambati Rayudu 8-1-32-1, Ketul Patel 30-3-108-2, Aditya Waghmode 4-0-17-0.

Baroda (2nd innings):
Saurabh Wakaskar c Kulkarni b Dabholkar 42
Aditya Waghmode lbw Chavan 60
Abhimanyu Chauhan c & b Chavan 6
Kedar Devdhar not out 6
Ambati Rayudu not out 19
Extras: (2nb, 1w, 2lb): 4.
Total: (for three wickets, 42 overs): 137 for three

Fall of wickets: 1-101 (26.1 ov), 2-111 (28.5 ovs), 3-111 (29.1 ovs)

Bowling: Javed Khan 6-2-16-0, Dhawal Kulkarni 4-2-4-0, Ankeet Chavan 15-4-42-2, Vishal Dabholkar 14-2-63-1, Kaustubh Pawar 3-1-11-0.