Punjab take first innings lead

Fine bowling by medium pacers Gagandeep Singh (3 for 51) and Reetinder Singh Sodhi (3 for 63) helped Punjab bowl out reigning champions Mumbai to a modest 285 and take a 98-run first innings lead on the third day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final, in Mumbai, on Thursday.

Resuming at the overnight score of 162 for two, the hosts found runs tough to come by as both Gagandeep and Sodhi bowled a fine line and length.

In Punjab's second innings, Ravneet Ricky (47) and Munish Sharma (68) batted well to put their team in the driver's seat with a 124-run unbroken opening partnership off 40 overs, a lead of 222 runs with still all the ten second innings wickets intact.

First to go on Thursday, when the hosts resumed their batting, was night-watchman Sriram Kannan, caught by Sundeep Sanwal off spinner Sharandeep Singh for five.

Opener Vinayak Mane (97) and skipper Amol Muzumdar (48) then added 71 runs for the fourth wicket before Mane was dismissed three short of a deserving hundred when Gagandeep trapped him leg before with a ball that came in sharply.

Once the Mane-Muzumdar partnership was broken Mumbai's resistence totally collapsed against some sustained bowling by Punjab players.

Scoreboard

Punjab (1st innings): 383 all out

Mumbai (1st innings): (overnight 162 for two)
V Mane lbw G Singh 97
W Jaffer lbw V Sharma 9
J Paranjape lbs R S Sodhi 68
S Kannan c Sanwal b S Singh 5
A Muzumdar c Y Singh b R S Sodhi 48
V Kambli c Sanwal b G Singh 5
A Rane b G Singh 4
P Mhambrey lbw R S Sodhi 9
R Powar c V Rathore b Y Singh 20
R Pawar st V Rathore b S Singh 2
S Saxena not out 0
Extras: (B6, LB3, NB9) 18
Total: (all out off 109.1 overs) 285
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-150, 3-163, 4-234, 5-240, 6-244, 7-258, 8-281, 9-283.
Bowling: G Singh 23-5-51-3, V Sharma 21.1-7-56-1, S Singh 28.1-8-59-2, R S Sodhi 22-3-63-3, S Sanwal 11-3-26-0, Yuvraj Singh 3-0-18-1, R Ricky 0.5-0-3-0.

Punjab (2nd innings):
R Ricky batting 47
M Sharma batting 68
Extras: (LB1, NB3, W5) 9
Total: (for no loss off 40 overs) 124
Bowling: P Mhambrey 8-2-19-0, S Kannan 9-4-27-0, S Saxena 9-2-27-0, R Powar 9-3-30-0, R Pawar 5-1-20-0.

Mail Cricket Editor