Ranji round-up: Mumbai, Madhya Pradesh take charge on Day 3

Bowlers, Prithvi Shaw put Uttar Pradesh to the sword 

Mumbai 133/1 (Shaw 64, Jaiswal 35*) & 393 lead Uttar Pradesh 180 all-out (Tushar Deshpande 3/34) by 346 runs

Mumbai have one foot in the final of the 2021/22 Ranji Trophy as on Day 3, the Prithvi Shaw-led side completely dominated proceedings to leave Uttar Pradesh on the brink. UP began the day on 25/2, but three-wicket hauls for the trio of Tushar Deshpande (3/34), Mohit Avasthi (3/39) and Tanush Kotian (3/35) floored the Karan Sharma-led side, which got bowled out for 180 in response to Mumbai’s 393. 

UP began the day well, with Karan Sharma and opener Madhav Kaushik getting through the first hour unscathed, but Avasthi’s dismissal of skipper Karan triggered a collapse as from 64/2, UP lost their next 5 wickets for 43 runs. At 107/7, UP were staring at a sub-150 total, but some lusty blows from the bat of Shivam Mavi (48) got the side to 180.

Mumbai decided to bat again, and it was the Prithvi Shaw show in the third innings. Shaw perished for a duck in the first innings, but on Day 3, the Mumbai skipper sizzled as he struck 12 boundaries en route to a 71-ball 64.

Shaw eventually fell to the left-arm spin of Saurabh Kumar, but Yashasvi Jaiswal (35*) and Armaan Jaffer (32*) ensured Mumbai lost no more wickets as they ended the day on 133/1, leading Uttar Pradesh by 346 runs. 

Madhya Pradesh in pole position despite Manoj Tiwary, Shahbaz Ahmed tons 

MP 163/2 (Patidar 63*) & 341 lead Bengal (273) by 231 runs

Despite both Manoj Tiwary (102) and Shahbaz Ahmed (116) posting centuries in the first session of Day 3, it was Madhya Pradesh who ended the day strongly, thanks to an unbroken 73-run stand between Rajat Patidar (63*) and skipper Aditya Shrivastava (34*). 

Bengal began Day 3 on 197/5, but the 2019/20 finalists were only able to add 76 runs to their overnight score. Tiwary got to his ton early in the day, but off-spinner Saransh Jain struck twice in three balls to reduce Bengal to 237/7. Shahbaz Ahmed then tried his best to drag his side as close to MP’s total as possible, but the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led side fell 68 short of MP’s first innings score of 341.

In the third innings, Bengal did get two early wickets in the form of first-innings centurion Himanshu Mantri (21) and Yash Dubey (12), but after Shubham Sharma (22*) retired hurt, Rajat Patidar and Aditya Shrivastava piled misery on Bengal as MP finished the day on 163/2, leading the 2019/20 finalists by 231 runs. 

Patidar played a free-flowing knock, striking 10 boundaries as he brought up his 16th first-class fifty. Shrivastava (34* off 90 balls) proved to be a good foil for Patidar, with the skipper preferring to grind the Bengal bowlers down.