Mumbai found an unlikely bowling hero in Vinod Kambli. The former India Test batsman's magic with the red cherry derailed former champions Railways on day 3 in the opening Elite Group A league encounter of the Ranji Trophy cricket championship in Delhi on Tuesday.
Rolling his arm only because strike bowler Avishkar Salvi hurt himself in the second over of the day, Kambli struck with the second ball with his seam up stuff from a short run-up to send back Shreyas Khanolkar.
He then dismissed the other overnight batsman, Tejinder Pal Singh, in his third over to effectively break the back of hosts' batting and end up with figures of 8.5-4-15-2.
Resuming at 111 for 3, Railways were reduced to 129 for five and never really recovered from those two telling blows.
Though the lower order showed some resilience, they were eventually bowled out for 284.
Ajit Agarkar (5-96) and Sairaj Bahutule (2-58) chipped away at the Railways tail to give the defending champions a 77-run first innings lead.
At stumps, the visitors were three for no loss, with Vinayak Mane on three and first innings centurion Wasim Jaffer yet to open his account.
Railways, champions in 2001-02, stumbled in their own backyard. It is not often that a visiting team has got the better of Railways at the Karnail Singh stadium.
But then this was one of those instances when the host batsmen failed to apply themselves, and Mumbai beat them in their own game.
With the wicket slowing down with each over, the morning session, when the moisture in the air offers swing, was the only time when the batsmen faced a bit of threat.
Railways batsmen, including all-rounder J P Yadav, who scored a well-paced 48, succumbed to their instincts.
G Shankar Rao (25), Sudhir Wankhede (22) and Harvinder Singh (34 not out) made valuable contributions as the last five wickets fetched 155 runs. But the damage was done already and the task a little too huge for the tail-enders.
To Mumbai's credit, their bowlers stuck to their task admirably.
Agarkar, omitted from the India squad for the fourth Test at his home ground, bowled with a vengeance.
The spinners, Bahutule, Nilesh Kulkarni and Ramesh Powar, somewhat struggled to run through the tail but that only highlighted the placid nature of the track.
Scoreboard:
Mumbai (1st innings): 361
Railways 1st innings:
A Pagnis c Samant b Agarkar 22
S Bangar b Agarkar16
Tejinder Pal Singh c Samant b Kambli 44
S Verma c Mane b Kulkarni 8
S Khanolkar c Samant b Kambli 23
J P Yadav c Samant b Agarkar 48
R Ali c Samant b Agarkar 16
G S Rao lbw Bahutule 25
S Wankhede c Mane b Bahutule 22
Harvinder Singh not out 34
K Parida c Mane b Agarkar 8
Extras (b-3, lb-3, nb-11, w-1) 18
Total (all out in 130.1 overs) 284
Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-53, 3-82, 4-117, 5-129, 6-180, 7-204, 8-236, 9-254.
Bowling: Ajit Agarkar 35.1-8-96-5, Avishkar Salvi 14.1-4-32-0, Nilesh Kulkarni 24-7-40-1, Ramesh Powar 22-7-37-0, Sairaj Bahutule 26-7-58-2, Vinod Kambli 8.5-4-15-2.
Mumbai (2nd innings):
V Mane not out 3
W Jaffer not out 0
Total: (for no loss in 3 overs) 3
Bowling: Harvinder Singh 2-0-3-0, G Shankar Rao 1-1-0-0.
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