Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Mumbai registers innings victory against Meghalaya to all but seal quarterfinal spot
Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Mumbai registers innings victory against Meghalaya to all but seal quarterfinal spot
It took Mumbai a couple of hours on Saturday morning to hand Meghalaya an innings and 456-run defeat and grab seven points from its last group league fixture of the Ranji Trophy.
While the domestic giant will have to still keep an eye on the outcome of the other group league fixture between Jammu and Kashmir and Baroda to determine its fate of reaching the knockouts, four-wicket hauls by Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian ensured that Meghalaya was bundled out for 129 in the second innings.
After Mumbai put up a mammoth 671, it was an uphill task for the team from the Northeast, which was bowled out for just 86 in the first innings. Despite Shardul making the most of the early morning conditions and striking early, this time around, the Meghalaya batters showed some resilience and breached the 120-run mark before Kotian cleaned up the tail with four quick wickets in just five overs.
While Shardul started the day on a bright note, dismissing Kishan Lyngdoh (39, 35b, 8×4), the top-scorer of Meghalaya, with a stunning return catch, he was unlucky to have missed out on a five-for as Sylvester D’Souza dropped a regulation catch of B. Anirudh.
With the wicket easing out as the day progressed, Meghalaya’s middle-order batters got steady starts but they failed to capitalise and fell in quick succession.
As Meghalaya ended its campaign at the bottom of the points table and will face relegation to the Plate Group next season, the convincing victory comes as a huge boost for Mumbai as it dreams of making the quarterfinals once again, overcoming the setback against Jammu and Kashmir in the previous game.
“We have worked hard throughout the season. After winning the title last year, we had set a target of winning the Ranji Trophy this time, too, and that has been the motivation,” Kotian said.
“A couple of matches went here and there and those were lessons for us and if we make it to the knockout, we won’t repeat those mistakes,” he added.
