India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav roared back to form with a fluent 70, forging a match-turning 129-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (88 not out) as defending champions Mumbai tightened their grip over Haryana on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Kolkata on Monday.
Their dominant batting display, following Shardul Thakur's five-wicket burst in the morning, propelled Mumbai to 278/4 in 67 overs at stumps, a commanding lead of 292 runs.
Rahane, steady as ever, remained unbeaten on 88 off 142 balls, striking 10 boundaries, while Suryakumar dazzled with audacious strokeplay, peppering the field with reverse hits and elegant drives in his 86-ball knock that had two sixes and eight fours.
The duo took Mumbai's lead past the 200-run mark in no time, turning the game decisively in their favour.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai's pace spearhead Shardul (18.5-3-58-6) ran through the lower order to wrap up Haryana's innings for 301 around the opening hour mark.
Mumbai's spin duo, Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian also chipped in with two wickets each as the defending champions secured a slender but crucial 14-run first-innings lead.
Mumbai's second innings, however, began shakily. Openers Akash Anand (10) and Ayush Mhatre (31) fell cheaply, while Siddhesh Lad (43) failed to convert his start, falling to Jayant Yadav's off-spin.
At 116/3, Mumbai needed stability, and that's when Rahane and Suryakumar took charge.
Suryakumar, desperate for runs after a string of low scores, started aggressively.
He raced to 28 off 23 balls, tearing apart Sumit Kumar with three boundaries -- first lofting him down the ground, then slicing one past the cordon, and Rahane followed up with a crisp cut through point.
Suryakumar soon reached his first 50-plus score in professional cricket after 14 innings, a much-needed boost after struggling against high-quality pace in the recent India-England T20I series, where he managed just 28 runs across five innings (2, 0, 14, 12, 0).
In the last 10 matches, his highest score was 20 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy while he had played a solitary match this season in the Ranji Trophy against Maharashtra, where he got out cheaply for 7.
Suryakumar, however, could not carry on, perishing in the final hour, attempting one shot too many.
A mistimed hook off rookie seamer Anuj Thakral ballooned to mid-on, ending his promising knock.
Rahane, calm and composed, reached his third fifty of the season, his second in a row, pulling Nishant Sindhu over mid-wicket for a boundary before cutting him behind point for two more.
As the day ended, he stood tall, ensuring Mumbai remained firmly in control, setting the stage for a daunting fourth innings chase for Haryana.
Earlier, Shardul set the tone in the morning, striking in the very first over of the day.
Haryana's overnight batter Rohit Sharma, on 22, attempted to pull a well-directed bouncer but could only top-edge it to Mohit Avasthi at deep fine leg.
The early breakthrough put Mumbai in control as Haryana struggled to build on their overnight total.
Next in line was Jayant Yadav, who faced another sharp bouncer from Shardul.
Jayant tried to fend it down, but the ball seemed to deviate slightly on its way to the keeper, prompting a confident appeal from Mumbai. The umpire initially raised his finger, but a successful DRS review saved Jayant, momentarily delaying Mumbai's charge.
However, Shardul was unstoppable. He soon got his man, dismissing Jayant.
With the lower order exposed, Shardul tightened his grip.
Anshul Kamboj misjudged a delivery angling into the stumps and played across the line.
Though the umpire remained unmoved to Mumbai's appeal, DRS confirmed the ball was crashing into leg stump, overturning the decision and giving Shardul his fifth wicket.
Shardul fittingly completed his six-wicket haul by trapping Ajit Chahal plumb in front for a golden duck, putting an end to Haryana's resistance.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai: 315 and 278/4 in 67 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 88 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 70, Siddhesh Lad 43) vs Haryana 301 in 84.5 overs (Ankit Kumar 136; Shardul Thakur 6/58).
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