Defending champions Mumbai conceded the first innings lead to Madhya Pradesh but then fought back strongly on the third and penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Division Group A cricket match at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Mumbai were shot out for 233 in their first innings in reply to the visitors' first innings total of 255. But they then struck back with four quick blows in the second innings to have Madhya Pradesh tottering at 13 for four before the visitors recovered to 99 for 5 at stumps.
Debutant seamer Santosh Shinde struck in successive balls in his very first over to leave MP gasping at 2 for one run and then Ajit Agarkar followed suit, striking two more blows and reduce the visitors to 13 for 4 by the seventh over.
But experienced campaigner Devendra Bundela, who remained unconquered at close with a patient and responsible knock of 59, which had nine hits to the fence, off 159 balls, and first innings top scorer Nikhil Patwardhan pulled MP out of the deep hole with a stand of 73 runs in 37.4 overs.
Patwardhan, who had scored a determined 80 in the first innings, scored 22 in 156 minutes before a bout of leg cramps affected his movement and cost his wicket, which was claimed by left arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni.
At close Bundela and Rishi Yengde (9) were at the crease.
In the morning, Mumbai were all out soon after lunch after resuming at the overnight score of 171 for 5. Stand-in captain Vinod Kambli fell at his last evening's score of 68.
Agarkar ran out of partners before becoming the last batsman to be out for a well-made 84, with ten fours and a six.
Scoreboard
Madhya Pradesh (1st innings):
Sachin Dholpure b Mota 12
N V Ojha c Samant b Hazare 33
A R Khurasiya c Jaffer b Hazare 38
D Bundela c Muzumdar b Mota 0
S Abbas Ali lbw Shinde 0
N A Patwardhan not out 80
R Yengre c Muzumdar b Kambli 8
Sunil M Dholpure c Muzumdar b Mota 7
Shantanu Pitre c Samant b Hazare 26
Y A Golwalkar c Samant b Agarkar 6
S Pandey lbw Kulkarni 11
Extras: (b 4, lb 5, w 5, nb 20) 34
Total: (all out, 129.2 overs) 255
Fall of wickets: 1-29, 2-79, 3-87, 4-88, 5-110, 6-132, 7-161, 8-200, 9-231.
Bowling: Agarkar 29-8-68-1 (6nb), Shinde 21-10-24-1 (8nb), Hazare 21-6-57-3 (5nb), Kulkarni 34.2-13-55-1, Mota 17.1-7-35-3 (6nb), Kambli 4.5-2-3-1, Indulkar 2-0-4-0.
Mumbai (1st innings):
A M Shetye c Yengre b Shantanu Pitre 4
W Jaffer b Sunil M Dholpure 22
V A Indulkar c Abbas Ali b Pandey 6
A A Muzumdar c Abbas Ali b Sunil M Dholpure 6
V G Kambli c Ojha b Pandey 68
W A Mota c Abbas Ali b Sunil M Dholpure 9
A B Agarkar c Shantanu Pitre b Sunil M Dholpure 84
N M Kulkarni lbw Sunil M Dholpure 0
V R Samant b Shantanu Pitre 7
S Shinde c Abbas Ali b Pandey 6
S P Hazare not out 0.
Extras: (lb 2, w 10, nb 9) 21
Total: (all out, 71.2 overs) 233
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-34, 3-38, 4-64, 5-87, 6-171, 7-180, 8-202, 9-232.
Bowling: Pandey 23-6-68-3 (7w), Shantanu Pitre 13-3-39-2, Sunil M Dholpure 22.2-4-68-5 (4nb), Golwalkar 6-0-30-0, Bundela 6-0-23-0 (5nb, 3w), Abbas Ali 1-0-3-0.
Madhya Pradesh (2nd innings):
Sachin M Dholpure c Samant b Agarkar 0
N V Ojha c Jaffer b Shinde 0
A R Khurasiya b Shinde 0
D Bundela batting 59
S Abbas Ali c Shinde b Agarkar 0
N A Patwardhan b Kulkarni 22
R Yengre batting 9
Extras: (b 2, w 1, nb 6) 9
Total: (5 wickets, 55 overs) 99
To Bat: Sunil M Dholpure, Shantanu Pitre, S Pandey, YA Golwalkar.
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Ojha, 1.3 ov), 2-1 (Khurasiya, 1.4 ov), 3-9 (Sachin M Dholpure, 4.1 ov), 4-13 (Abbas Ali, 6.4 ov), 5-86 (Patwardhan, 44.2 ov).
Bowling: Agarkar 14-8-18-2, Shinde 9-0-40-2 (6nb),Hazare 4-0-16-0 (1w), Mota 8-6-5-0, Kulkarni 18-9-14-1, Kambli 2-1-4-0.
