J&K players celebrate a remarkable win. [Source: JioCinema]
For more than one moment, it looked like all-rounders Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian’s magnificent 184-run eighth-wicket partnership handing Mumbai a 204-run lead would be enough for them to defeat Jammu & Kashmir for the first time in the Ranji Trophy. However, Mumbai will have to live another day to beat this particular team.
Chasing a 205-run target on a Day 3 pitch at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, the visitors needed just 49 overs to register their second consecutive victory against a powerhouse lineup. Coincidently, J&K’s both wins against Mumbai have come away from home.
As was the case in the first innings, when J&K secured an 86-run lead, no particular batter stood out with an eye-catching performance. That being said, the sum of all performances was enough for them to win their fourth match of the season to currently sit comfortably at the top of the points table in Elite, Group A.
J&K Beat Mumbai At The Wankhede Stadium A Decade Ago
Apart from Thakur, Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer, J&K batter Shubham Khajuria and pacer Umar Nazir Mir, who gained prominence after dismissing Rohit Sharma on Day 1, are the four players who had played the first-ever first-class match between these two teams as well.
Other than Iyer’s first-class career, the match also kick-started Ranji Trophy 2014/15 for both the teams. For the unversed, a 4-wicket loss initiated what ended up being a terrible season for Mumbai, where they failed to win a single match across eight outings.
Much like the recently concluded contest, Mumbai captain (Suryakumar Yadav back in the day) had won the toss and chose to bat to see his team bundle out for below par innings totals twice before J&K sealed a 237-run target without any major discomfort.
Unlike current Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane (12 & 16), Yadav had scored a half-century and a century across the two innings. Another similarity between the two matches is Mir picking a four-wicket haul.