Ranji Trophy 2022 | Sarfaraz Khan plunders heavy ton, Yash Dubey carries MP’s dream

Madhya Pradesh bowlers, notably Gaurav Yadav and Anubhav Agarwal, kept Mumbai’s heavyweight batters in check on Day 2. Resuming at 248-5, the Prithvi Shaw-led side added another 126 runs to their overnight score at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Mumbai’s 374 was fuelled by Sarfaraz Khan’s high-octane 134, his fourth ton of the season. The talented young batsman sparked a series of lower-order resistance through crucial partnerships with the tail-enders. 

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 78 at the top of the order remains the next best performance for Mumbai in the first innings of this year’s grandest stage.

In response, dream-chasers Madhya Pradesh launched a cautious-yet-effective attack against firing Mumbai bowlers upfront. Opener Yash Dubey reached an unbeaten 44 off 131 balls before stumps on Day 2, and he will resume the innings tomorrow with number 3 batter Shubham Sharma (41*).

Himanshu Mantri was the first and only damage Madhya Pradesh suffered in the 41 overs they faced on an action-packed day. Unlike his opening partner Dubey, the wicketkeeper-batsman took a rapid approach in his batting, seeing off the new ball and racing to 31 off 50 balls before getting trapped in front of stumps by Mumbai’s speed gun Tushar Deshpande.

Day 3 is set to commence tomorrow from 9:30 AM onwards, with Mumbai aiming for their record-extending 42nd Ranji title while the high-flying Madhya Pradesh unit was fighting for their first. At 123-1, unbeaten batsman Dubey will resume proceedings with his side trailing by another 251 runs.

Brief scores:

Mumbai: 374 (127.4)

Sarfaraz Khan 134, Yashasvi Jaiswal 78

Gaurav Yadav 4-106, Anubhav Agarwal 3-81

Madhya Pradesh: 123-1 (41)

Yash Dubey 44*, Shubham Sharma 41*

Tushar Deshpande 1-31

Madhya Pradesh trail by 251 runs