Ranji Trophy semifinal: Fortuitous Jaiswal keeps Mumbai afloat

Yashasvi Jaiswal had his fair share of luck but at the same time showed enough character to make most of the good fortune to steer Mumbai on an engrossing opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against a street-smart Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.

Dropped twice in the 30s and surviving a run-out chance while on 92, Jaiswal could have met the same fate like most of his batting colleagues who literally gifted their wickets on a platter to a disciplined UP attack.

But the 20-year-old Jaiswal, barring those three close shaves, exhibited solid patience to slam a brilliant 100 (227b, 353m, 15x4) and wicketkeeper-batter Hardik Tamore hit an unbeaten 51 (74b, 6x4, 1x6) as Mumbai took stumps at 260/5 at the Just Cricket Academy ground on the outskirts of the city.

Mumbai were seemingly surprised, almost happy, when UP skipper Karan Sharma won the toss and asked them to take first strike. Karan’s decision appeared a very bold one at the outset as not only were Mumbai batters were in great form, Bengal had plundered 773/7 declared at the same venue last week. Although there was grass on the pitch which could have prompted Karan to bowl first, there wasn’t much that could have made life too difficult for Mumbai.

Third ball of the day, Mumbai got a sense of why Karan inserted them in. Pacer Yash Dayal (2/35), who was brilliant throughout the day, pitched one up and Prithvi Shaw easily fell prey to the sucker ball, flashing at it and edging to Priyam Garg at slip.

This is what UP bowlers did for a vast majority of the day. Aware the pitch was hard with true bounce and Mumbai batters like to play aggressively, they kept bowling a stump or two outside the off-stump. They simply asked Mumbai batters to come at them, which the 41-time champions did. End result, Armaan Jaffer (10), Suved Parkar (32) and Sarfaraz Khan (40) all fell victims to poor shots despite looking in no trouble whatsoever.

Jaiswal too could have perished twice for such loose shots in the 30s — 33 and 37 — but to the southpaw’s luck, Dhruv Jorel and Rinku Singh grassed regulation catches. Jaiswal then instantly realised what UP were trying to do and he tightened his batting to thwart their plans. He left all those teasers around the off-stump alone, picked the right ones to attack to single-handedly anchor Mumbai for much of the day.

His excitement grew only when he moved into the 90s as he attempted some high-risk shots in the hope of getting to his second first-class century quickly. There were oohs and aahs but Jaiswal weathered that too before bringing up his ton with a gorgeous drive through the covers. Right after the century, Jaiswal lost his concentration as he tried to play part-time off-spinner Karan (2/39) down the leg-side and was caught by keeper Jurel.

UP sensed an opening there but Hardik counter-attacked brilliantly. He took his chances and in the company of dangerous all-rounder Shams Mulani forged an unbeaten 27-run stand for the sixth wicket to ensure honours were even.