Shams Mulani is often referred to as the ‘crisis man’ of Mumbai cricket, but for captain Shardul Thakur, he is a match-winner. Season after season, the left-arm spinner has been Mumbai’s go-to man, and things were no different on Monday as he claimed another five-for to guide Mumbai to an innings and 120 run-win against Himachal Pradesh in a crucial Ranji Trophy Group-D fixture at the MCA-BKC Ground.
After being forced to settle for draws in the last couple of matches, Mumbai needed a win to put its campaign back on track. Mulani not only claimed his 19th five-wicket haul in First-class cricket, but also ensured that Mumbai pocketed seven points, including a bonus point.
Having put up a mammoth 446, the Mumbai bowlers ran through a frail Himachal Pradesh batting line-up and restricted it to 187 in the first essay, enforcing the follow-on.
As the wicket offered turn and uneven bounce, Mulani ensured Mumbai wrapped things up in three days as Himachal was bundled out for 139 in its second innings.
As the seasoned spinner tightened the noose, none of the Himachal batters, barring Pukhraj Mann (65, 102b, 9×4), showed resolve.
While Mann received a reprieve, Shardul shuffled his bowlers and introduced Ayush Mhatre just before Tea, which paid off. The youngster impressed with his off-spin and eventually found a breakthrough as Mann was caught at first slip by Ajinkya Rahane. Once Mann was dismissed, Himachal lost its last five wickets for just 27 runs as a relentless Mulani took charge.
Earlier in the day, Himachal started its first innings, precariously placed at 94 for seven, but en route their fifties, Nikhil Gangta and Vaibhav Arora forged a 77-run partnership for the ninth wicket before the latter fell to Musheer Khan.
The scores: Mumbai — 1st innings: 446.
Himachal Pradesh — 1st innings: Sidhant Purohit lbw b Shardul 1, Ankush Bains c Akash b Deshpande 1, Ankit Kalsi c Akash b Tushar 8, Pukhraj Mann lbw b Himanshu 34, Ekant Sen lbw b Mulani 15, Nikhil Gangta (not out) 64, Mayank Dagar lbw b Himanshu 5, Aryaman Dhaliwal c Mhatre b Himanshu 3, Vipin Sharma c Shardul b Mulani 3, Vaibhav Arora c Himanshu b Musheer 51, Arpit Guleria c Himanshu b Sylvester 2; Total (in 65.5 overs): 187.
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-6, 3-18, 4-59, 5-59, 6-65, 7-79, 8-107, 9-184.
Mumbai bowling: Shardul 10-4-25-1, Deshpande 9-3-23-2, Sylvester 7.5-1-22-1, Mulani 19-5-54-2, Himanshu 12-2-54-3, Musheer 8-4-9-1.
Himachal Pradesh — 2nd innings: Sidhant Purohit lbw b Shardul 2, Ankush Bains c Akash b Deshpande 0, Ankit Kalsi lbw b Mulani 19, Pukhraj Mann c Rahane b Mhatre 65, Ekant Sen c Mhatre b Mulani 7, Nikhil Gangta c Rahane b Musheer 23, Mayank Dagar c Mhatre b Musheer 1, Aryaman Dhaliwal c Rahane b Mulani 7, Vaibhav Arora st. Akash b Mulani 0, Vipin Sharma (not out) 8, Arpit Guleria lbw b Mulani 5; Extras (lb-1, nb-1): 2; Total (in 49.1 overs): 139.
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-3, 3-50, 4-68, 5-112, 6-113, 7-126, 8-126, 9-126.
Mumbai bowling: Shardul 4-1-9-1, Deshpande 4-0-23-1, Mulani 15.1-4-37-5, Sylvester 4-0-19-0, Himanshu 8-1-19-0, Musheer 10-2-23-2, Mhatre 4-0-8-1.
Published – November 10, 2025 06:15 pm IST
