Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian grabbed four wickets each as rampant Mumbai advanced to an innings and 456-run win over Meghalaya to top the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A table here on Saturday. Mumbai currently have 29 points, similar to Jammu & Kashmir but the defending champions are ahead by Net Run Rate -- 1.74 as against the latter's 1.59. However, J&K are currently in a position to grab at least three points against Baroda, and are poised to end the league engagements as group toppers.
Trailing by a mammoth 585 runs in the first innings here, Meghalaya batters could not trouble the scorers much for the second time in the game as they were shot out for 129 with Thakur taking 4/48 and Kotian returning 5.1-0-15-4.
Meghalaya had scored 86 in the first innings against which Mumbai had piled up 671 for seven declared to lay the platform for a victory with bonus point.
While the victory was Mumbai's largest in terms of an innings in the Ranji Trophy history, it also bolstered their chances of reaching the quarterfinal which will start on February 8.
With Meghalaya resuming on the third day placed precariously at 29/2, it took only one session for Mumbai to take the remaining eight wickets despite resistance from the likes of Kishan Lyndoh (39) and Anirudh B (24).
Brief scores: Meghalaya 86 and 129 in 30.1 overs (Kishan Lyndoh 39, Anirudh B 24; Shardul Thakur 4/48, Tanush Kotian 4/15) lost to Mumbai 671/7 decl. by an innings and 456 runs.
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