SportsCricket
Railways win toss and bowl as unbeaten Mumbai begin Ranji round four at the CCI
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Divyaansh Saxena saw off the new ball in a watchful start at the Cricket Club of India, as Mumbai chase a fourth straight bonus-point win before the winter break.
Key points
- Railways won the toss and chose to bowl against Mumbai at the Cricket Club of India.
- Mumbai's openers were 10 without loss after four overs in a cautious start.
- Mumbai have won three in a row with bonus points and top Elite Group D.
Railways won the toss and chose to bowl against Mumbai on Monday morning, opening the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy at the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium. The four-day Group D game runs until Thursday.
Mumbai’s openers, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Divyaansh Saxena, took no risks against the new ball. Adarsh Singh and Himanshu Sangwan kept a tight line, and Mumbai had 10 without loss after four overs. Each opener had hit one four and had five to his name at that stage, Raghuvanshi’s boundary coming off Adarsh.
Mumbai arrive in their best form of the season. Siddhesh Lad’s side have three bonus-point wins in a row, by an innings and 155 runs against Chandigarh, by an innings and 97 runs against Himachal Pradesh and by 10 wickets against Haryana, and they lead Elite Group D.
They are without Shardul Thakur, who hurt his hand when a return drive from Ayush Mhatre struck him in a net session. The all-rounder is expected to miss at least the first four rounds.
Railways, who play their home games at Brabourne this season, finished fourth in their group last year and need points. This is the last round before the Ranji Trophy breaks for the white-ball season, and the competition will not resume until January, so a result here will shape both sides’ winter.
Across the country, Bengal, top of their group with three outright wins, host Maharashtra at Eden Gardens, where Abhimanyu Easwaran’s side face a Maharashtra team led by Prithvi Shaw.