Kulkarni bowls Mumbai to an innings victory

Pacer Dhawal Kulkarni scalped a career-best seven-wicket haul to bowl Mumbai to an innings and 108 runs victory over Hyderabad in the Ranji Trophy Elite Division match in Mumbai on Friday.

The Mumbai youngster, who will get out of his teens on December 10, grabbed five wickets in seven overs on the fourth and final day of the match in two spells to end Hyderabad's resistance 48 minutes before lunch at the Mumbai Cricket Association BKC ground.

Kulkarni, playing in only his sixth first class game after having made his debut for India A against the visiting Australians at Bangalore in September, finished with superb figures of 7 for 50 in 16 overs as Hyderabad were dismissed for a meagre 243 in the second innings.

The 19-year-old bowler, who had taken two out of the four Hyderabad second innings wickets to fall on Thursday, ended up with match figures of 9 for 86.

Hyderabad, shot out for 251 runs in the first innings in reply to Mumbai's 602 for 6 declared, could do no better in the second essay requiring 351 to force the home team bat again.

The visitors lost six wickets for 77 runs, including the first five for just 24 runs, in a little over 23 overs on Friday morning after commencing at 166 for 4.

Mumbai got six points, including one bonus, to shoot to the top of the Group A table. They have 21 points and are certain to figure in the knock-out rounds, with matches against Orissa and Cuttack in hand. Hyderabad have with ten points.

Hyderabad began the fourth morning with their hopes of avoiding an innings defeat resting mainly on the attacking Ravi Teja, who played impressively off the backfoot on Thursday to race to a hundred. Wicketkeeper Abhinav Kumar was the other batsman at the crease.

But Kulkarni dealt a major blow, sending back the 21-year-old Teja, without the batsman adding to the previous evening's score of 107, caught behind in the third over of the day.

The pacer grabbed two more wickets in his next eight balls to effectively end Hyderabad's hopes.

Kulkarni, whose previous innings best haul of 5 for 44 came on his Ranji debut against Rajasthan, then bowled first innings half centurion Ahmed Quadri for a duck when the batsman went on the back foot.

M P Arjun (0) then edged to the slip cordon for Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer to pouch it before Kulkarni ended his first spell of six overs with another wicket when he dismissed S M Shoaib, caught behind.

Kumar prolonged the inevitable and showed some defiance when making 62 in 121 balls, inclusive of three sixes and four fours, before being ninth out. He was Kulkarni's seventh victim in his second spell. He put on 51 runs with Ashwin Yadav for the ninth wicket.

Leg spinner Sairaj Bahutule dismissed Yadav to bring an end to the proceedings.

Scorecard

Mumbai (1st innings): 602 for 6 decl

Hyderabad (1st innings): 251

Hyderabad (2nd innings): overnight 166 for 4
T Suman lbw Kularni 5
R Teja c Samant b Kulkarni 107
Rushi Raj c Mane b Malvi 4
A Pai c Jaffer b Kulkarni 2
Arjun Yadav c Jaffer b Bahutule 22
Abhinav Kumar c Jaffer b Kulkarni 62
A Quadri b Kulkarni 0
M P Arjun c Jaffer b Kulkarni 0
S M Shaoib c Rahane b Kulkarni 14
Ashwin Yadav c Muzumdar b Bahutule 12
Lalith Mohan not out 2
Extras: (nb 9, w 4) 13
Total: (all out, in 57.1 overs) 243