New Delhi, Nov 10 (IANS) Chhattisgarh and Mumbai registered commanding victories in their respective Ranji Trophy Elite Group D fixtures to consolidate their positions in the points table, while Jammu & Kashmir and Hyderabad moved closer to sealing wins with dominant performances on day three’s play on Monday.

At Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) Ground in Mumbai, left-arm spinner Shams Mulani starred with a five-wicket haul as 42-time champions Mumbai thrashed Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 120 runs. The win marked Mumbai’s second outright victory of the season. After posting a formidable 446 in the first innings, Mumbai’s bowlers dismantled Himachal’s batting twice in two days on a dry pitch.

Himachal were first skittled out for 187 earlier in the day, before folding for 139 in the second innings. Mulani’s incisive spell ensured Mumbai wrapped up the match with a day to spare, further strengthening their position in the group standings.

At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir are closing in on a memorable win over Delhi after ending Day Three at 55/2. Qamran Iqbal and Vanshaj Sharma set to resume the chase on the final morning, with J&K needing 124 more runs to win.

Delhi appeared in control of the game at 267/5 in their second innings, with Anuj Rawat and Ayush Doseja well set. However, a dramatic collapse saw them lose their last five wickets for just 10 runs and fold for 277. Rawat fell to a miscued shot that lobbed to short leg, while Shokeen and Doseja perished attempting aggressive strokes.

Left-arm spinner Vanshaj was the architect of Delhi’s downfall, returning with his third five-wicket haul in just his fourth first-class match. His spell of 6-68 ensured J&K remained firmly in the hunt to get a victory and surge ahead in the points table.

At the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Chhattisgarh needed all but one delivery to get a 10-wicket win over Pondicherry. The three-run target was overhauled by a four from opener Ayush Pandey. The foundation of Chhattisgarh’s win was set up by veteran left-arm spinner Aditya Sarvate, who picked 4-27 to bowl out Puducherry for 175 after being made to follow on.

At the NexGen Cricket Ground, skipper Rahul Singh Gahlaut top-scored with 59 as Hyderabad swelled their lead to 253 runs against Rajasthan. Though Hyderabad are 198/7 at the end of day three’s play, the hosts have the lead to put pressure on Rajasthan and try to bowl them out on the final day to get an outright win.

Brief scores:

Mumbai 446 beat Himachal Pradesh 187 in 65.5 overs (Nikhil Gangta 64 not out; Himanshu Singh 3-54) and 139 in 49.1 overs (Pukhraj Mann 65; Shams Mulani 5/37) by an innings and 120 runs

Delhi 211 and 277 all out (Ayush Badoni 72, Ayush Doseja 62; Vanshaj Sharma 6-68) lead Jammu & Kashmir 310 and 55/2 in 15 overs (Qamran Iqbal 32 not out, Hritik Shokeen 1-8) by 124 runs

Chhattisgarh 377 and 4/0 beat Pondicherry 205 and 175 (Jayant Yadav 46, Aditya Sarvate 4-27) by ten wickets

Hyderabad 364 and 198/7 (Rahul Singh Gahlaut 59, Kodimela Himateja 41; Mahipal Lomror 2-30, Ashok Sharma 2-33) lead Rajasthan 269 by 293 runs

–IANS

nr/bsk/