Mumbai recorded a 106-run win against Railways in their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday. Sarfaraz Khan took a diving catch to spark a revival after a long partnership. Skipper Siddhesh Lad said, "We kept fighting till the last hour," securing their fourth victory.
Mumbai players celebrate after winning against Railways in the Ranji Trophy. (PTI Photo)
MUMBAI: Sarfaraz Khan didn't have much to do for most of Day Four. While batting, he played second fiddle to Divyaansh Sksena, guiding his young teammate to a maiden first-class century. While fielding, he was mostly moving up and down the pitch, taking his position in the slip cordon in anticipation of a moment that would change the course of the match. That moment came in the 67th over when his brother Musheer (3/42) induced a top edge from Eshaan Goyal. Sarfaraz anticipated it well, sprinted to his right from first slip and completed a diving catch to dismiss Goyal, sparking a Mumbai revival. Mumbai soon wrapped up Railways to record a 106-run win in their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday. Till that point, the match looked headed for a draw as Goyal (102, 201b; 11x4, 1x6) and Zubair Ali (115, 117b; 14x4, 5x6) thwarted Mumbai's attack, brought up their centuries in contrasting styles and stitched together a 167-run partnership for the sixth wicket to lift Railways from 83/5 to 250/5. Even Mumbai skipper Siddhesh Lad felt the match was heading towards a stalemate, but he added that the team kept believing till which took them over the line. "We kept fighting till the last hour. Whenever we were regrouping during the breaks, there was always belief among each one of us that we were just one wicket away. We just wanted to slow things down a bit at that stage (when the partnership was building) so that we could break their momentum. We did that and I'm very happy with how the boys have reacted throughout the four games," Lad said after the match. Sarfaraz's catch turned the match on its head as the 42-time champions seized the opportunity, and 11.1 overs later were celebrating their fourth outright victory on the trot. The win puts them firmly on top of Group D with 27 points as the team now switches its attention to the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy. The day began with Sksena (100*, 136b; 8x4, 1x6) bringing up his century before Mumbai declared at 234/4, setting Railways a target of 372. It was an important knock for the 25-year-old opener, who had made starts in previous matches but had been unable to convert them into substantial scores. Mumbai started their victory march in the earnest, kept taking wickets at regular intervals, and had reduced Railways to 83/5. Shams Mulani (4/69) led the charge with three wickets, while Tanush Kotian (2/93) claimed one and another came through a run-out effected by Sarfaraz and Mulani. But Mumbai's players knew that on the Brabourne wicket, once batters got set, it would be difficult to dislodge them. That proved to be the case as Goyal and Zubair dug in during their bid to steer Railways to safety. They batted together for 36.3 overs before Sarfaraz's intervention broke their association. A couple of overs later, Musheer dismissed Zubair, who holed out to Suryansh Shedge at mid-off. Mulani then got Toufik Mondal thanks to a brilliant catch by Kotian at short mid-wicket, shortly after Sarfaraz had sledged the left-hander into playing an attacking shot. Kotian trapped Raj Choudhury lbw before Musheer had last-man Himanshu Sangwan caught at silly point to seal the victory. Skipper Lad was full of praise for Sarfaraz, saying: "Sarfaraz was outstanding. He is a special fielder. He had dropped a catch before that, but he wanted to do something for the team. That is what we saw."
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While Mumbai are off to a solid start, Lad wants his troopers to be at the top of their game when red-ball cricket returns in January 2027. Mumbai will resume their campaign against Uttarakhand at the Wankhede Stadium. "We don't want to be satisfied with what we have done in the first four games because we have a long journey ahead and we want to do something special, add something to the legacy of Mumbai this season. We will have to regroup after the white-ball phase. That's why it was important to win all four games because, in the second half, the momentum might not be with us. We will have to work very hard to get even a single point," Lad said.