The TNCA XI secured a commanding lead in the Buchi Babu fixture on Wednesday, restricting Mumbai to a paltry 141 for eight wickets at the end of day two. The match at the Sri Ramakrishna College Cricket Ground was dominated by spin bowling, with both sides relying heavily on their tweakers.
Despite Himanshu Singh’s impressive five-wicket haul for Mumbai (5/81), the TNCA XI’s spin trio of S. Ajith Ram (2/29), S. Lakshay Jain (3/30), and R. Sai Kishore (3/30) proved to be the difference-makers. The TNCA XI’s spinners hunted in packs, dismantling the Mumbai batting lineup after the home side was dismissed for 379 just before lunch.
The first session saw Himanshu Singh wreak havoc on the TNCA XI middle order, removing R. Sonu Yadav, Sai Kishore, and the dangerous Boopathi Vaishna Kumar (82, 146 balls, 9 fours). This left the host struggling at 315 for eight, after starting the day at 294 for five. However, Ajith Ram turned the tide with a brilliant counter-attacking innings, smashing a quickfire half-century (53, 69 balls, 7 fours) to propel the TNCA XI towards the 400-run mark.
Adding to Mumbai’s woes, their captain Sarfaraz Khan, who was unable to field on day two due to illness, was also ruled out of batting. The other stalwarts, Shreyas Iyer (2) and Suryakumar Yadav (30), also fell prey to the TNCA XI’s clever tactics.
Mumbai will now be pinning their hopes on opener Divyansh Saxena (61 not out, 186 balls, 6 fours, 1 six), who showed remarkable composure amidst the spin onslaught. Saxena will need to continue his resilient batting on day three to give Mumbai any chance of salvaging the match.
With TNCA XI holding a commanding lead, the remaining two days of the fixture promise to be a fascinating battle between bat and ball, with the outcome hanging in the balance.
