Holders Mumbai rattled up a huge first innings total and then sent half of the Andhra side packing when the visitors replied, to take a stranglehold on the second day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Division Group 'A' match at Mumbai on Friday.
Mumbai piled up an imposing 515 for nine declared, adding 210 runs today after resuming at the overnight 305 for three, and then left the visitors gasping at 59 for 5 in 32 overs.
The Andhra batsmen, put under severe pressure by the mountain of runs they had to scale, put up a pathetic show.
Their hopes of substantially reducing the lead now rest on skipper Manava Prasad, who was unbeaten on 7. The other batsman at the crease was Raja Vasireddy Prasad, also on 7.
Ajit Agarkar struck twice in seven balls to plunge Andhra in deep trouble after his new ball partner Santosh Shinde had struck the first blow dismissing opener Amit Pathak. Number three batsman Alluri Verma was dismissed run out.
Agarkar's two victims included Andhra's main hope Yalaka Vengupal Rao (5). Then Mumbai captain Sairaj Bahutule captured the wicket of Venugopal's brother Gnaneswara Rao to leave the Andhra first innings in tatters.
Mumbai consolidated their position by batting deep and then their bowlers, spearheaded by Agarkar, were at the Andhra batsmen's throat.
Mumbai lost Bahutule early, but Nishit Shetty (80 in 220 minutes with 8 fours) and Vinit Indulkar, who resumed his innings which was halted at 111 yesterday when he developed leg cramps, took the score close to the 400 mark.
Indulkar added 20 more runs before falling for 131 which took him 296 minutes to compile. He struck 18 fours. But Andhra's hopes of cutting through the bottom half were shattered by Agarkar and Vinayak Samant, both of whom scored half-centuries.
The ninth wicket duo added 83 runs before Samant became seamer Kalyankrishna's sixth victim of the innings. Agarkar reached his half century with a four to remain unbeaten on 52 when Mumbai captain Bahutule declared the innings.
Andhra's reply was abject as Pathak was bowled through the gate by Shinde. Then Verma was run out when he and opener Narasimha Prasad Reddy were both stranded at the non-striker's end to leave the visitors struggling 23 for 2.
Agarkar changed ends to send back Venugopal Rao, who played a glorious first ball straight drive for four off Shinde, through a catch at the wicket off an attempted slash, and then trapped Reddy leg before wicket, in successive overs to reduce Andhra to 36 for 4.
Gnaneswara Rao too fell playing an injudicious sweep and top edged to backward square leg off Bahutule before the two Prasads, Manava and Raja, stemmed the rot.
Scoreboard:
Mumbai first innings (overnight 305-3):
V Mane c Reddy b Kalyankrishna 2
W Jaffer c Pathak b Faiq 16
V Indulkar c Faiq b Kalyankrishna 131
A Muzumdar c Manava Prasad b Kalyankrishna 111
N Shetty c Verma b Venugopal Rao 80
S Bahutule c Verma b Pathak 33
A Agarkar not out 52
R Powar c Faiq b Kalyankrishna 7
N Kulkarni c Reddy b Kalyankrishna 6
V Samant c Gnaneswara Rao b Kalyankrishna 50
S Shinde not out 0
Extras: (b 9, lb 9, w 8, nb 1) 27
Total: (for 9 decl., in 145.1 overs) 515
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-49, 3-98, 4-362, 5-394, 6-394 7-404, 8-427, 9-510.
Bowling: Shahabuddin 30-5-91-0, Kalyankrishna 20.1-3-56-6, R V C H Prasad 18-5-46-0, Verma 3-1-6-0, Faiq 25-3-106-1, Appa Rao 12-6-62-0, Venugopal Rao 25-1-92-1, Pathak 12-0-38-1.
Andhra first innings:
A Pathak b Shinde 1
L N P Reddy lbw b Agarkar 12
A S A Verma run out 11
Y Venugopal Rao c Samant b Agarkar 5
M S K Prasad not out 7
Y Gnaneswara Rao c Shetty b Bahutule 8
R V C H Prasad batting 7
Extras: (lb 6, nb 2) 8
Total: (For 5 wkts in 32 overs) 59
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-23, 3-33, 4-36, 5-45.
Bowling: Agarkar 11-6-10-2, Shinde 9-5-10-1, Bahutule 9-1-29-1, Powar 3-1-4-0.
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