Ranji Trophy Final 2024, Day 3 Review: Mumbai's middle order leaves Vidarbha an Everest to climb at Wankhede

In a nail-biting clash on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy 2024 finals at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai set a brilliant target for Vidharbha to chase to win the Ranji title. The match had all the makings of a thrilling encounter, with both outcomes hanging in the balance.

The day kicked off with overnight batters Musheer Khan and skipper Ajinkya Rahane taking on the Akshay Wadkar-led side. Both added 23 runs before Rahane was dismissed by Harsh Dubey. While Musheer who has been brilliant since being added to the Mumbai Ranji setup scored yet another century.

Musheer scored 136 runs off 326 balls, his innings included ten boundaries. Entered Shreyas Iyer, who has been criticised for not playing domestic cricket played a brilliant knock of 95 runs. He along with Khan stitched a formidable 168-run stand, placing the team in the driver's seat.

After Iyer's dismissal, Mumbai received yet another blow after losing Hardik Tamore for a mere five runs. Though Mumbai were losing wickets it was the lower-order batters who kept them in the race. Particularly Shams Mulani, who scored a brilliant 85-ball half-century.

Also read: Rohit Sharma marks his presence during Ranji Trophy 2024 Final

Shardul Thakur fails in second innings

The star of the first innings, Shardul Thakur lost his wicket without adding any run on the scoreboard. It was Tanush Kotian who stood firm, along with Mulani to take the side to a total of 418 runs. Dhawal Kulkarni who is playing his last game couldn't be a support to Mulani for a long time as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck. 

For Vidharbha the standout performer was Dubey, who clinched five wickets. He ended up with the figures of 5/48. Yash Thakur too contributed with the ball by picking three wickets. 

Coming to bat Vidharbha have the daunting task of chasing a target of 538 runs. With two days still left in the finals, Vidharbha will be looking to chase down the target while the most successful team in the tournament will be looking to add one feather to their cap. Vidharbha scored 10 runs before stumps were called on Day 3.