Sarfaraz Khan (Photo/screengrab)
A stunning catch from Sarfaraz Khan helped Mumbai break a 167-run partnership and turn the match on ite head in the final hour as the 42-time champions defeated Railways by 106 runs in their Ranji Trophy Group D clash on Thursday. Goyal attempted a sweep against Musheer Khan (3/42) but got a top edge. Railways’ chase got off to a difficult start as Shams Mulani (4/69) picked up three wickets and Sarfaraz effected a run-out to leave them at 83/5.
“That (a draw) was always on the back of mind, because we had won the first innings and we have bad memories of CCI; we had lost the Irani Trophy on the last day of the match,” Lad told reporters. Standing at first slip, Sarfaraz covered the ground towards leg slip, dived full length and completed the catch to end the partnership. Goyal and Zubair then joined forces and appeared to have taken the game towards a draw before Mumbai’s late fightback. Mumbai captain Siddesh Lad admitted that the possibility of a draw had crossed their minds, given the team’s previous experience in the Irani Cup.
Sarfaraz, who had earlier effected a run-out and dropped a catch, produced the moment that changed the game.
Mumbai finished the first round with 27 points, the highest tally among all teams.
However, Lad said the team was not looking to be satisfied with its performance so far. We have a long journey ahead and we want to do something special — add something to the legacy of Mumbai this season,” he said. “Last two seasons (also), we did really well in the league stage. But we don’t want to be satisfied with what we have done in the first four games.