Ranji: Pawar anchors Mumbai to 235 for five

Opener Kaustubh Pawar defended doggedly to crawl to 89 as Mumbai reached 235 for five at stumps on the first day against Madhya Pradesh in a group league match of the Ranji Trophy in Indore on Saturday.

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Pawar carried his bat through the day facing 270 balls hitting 14 boundaries in the process. Madhya Pradesh medium fast bowler Ishwar Pandey was the most successful bowler as he grabbed four for 28 in 19 overs. The other wicket was taken by seamer Anand Rajan.

The most important partnership was between Pawar and all-rounder Ankeet Chavan who remained undefeated on 36 and added 80 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket stand after Mumbai were reduced to 155 for five by Pandey and Rajan.

The other significant partnership for Mumbai was the 68-run stand for the fourth wicket between Pawar and glovesman Aditya Tare, who scored 42. Tare hit eight fours during his 89-ball knock.

Prolific opener Wasim Jaffer and one drop batsman Hiken Shah were dismissed cheaply by Pandey caught by Harpreet Singh in the slips. In-form Abhishek Nayar banged six boundaries in his 28 but couldn't convert his start into a big knock as both him and the inconsistent Surya Kumar Yadav were snapped by Naman Ojha off Pandey's bowling.

Brief Scores:
Mumbai: 235/5 (Kaustubh Pawar 89 no, Aditya Tare 42, Ishwar Pandey 4/28).