Baroda stun defending champions Mumbai in Ranji Trophy opener
Team Baroda has defeated reigning champions Mumbai in the first-round match of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. The match at Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara saw Baroda clinch a 84-run victory despite a star-studded Mumbai side including Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, and Shardul Thakur. The defeat came as a shocker considering Mumbai's strong team composition. Here are further details.
Baroda's 1st innings sets the tone
After winning the toss, Baroda opted to bat first and laid a solid foundation with 290 runs in their first innings. This total was largely due to half-centuries from Mitesh Patel (86) and Atit Sheth (66). Tanush Kotian dismissed four batters. Mumbai, on the other hand, failed to keep up with the pace and were bowled out for 214 runs in their first innings despite contributions from Rahane (29) and Ayush Mhatre (50). Bhargav Bhatt claimed a four-fer.
Baroda's lower order saves the day
In the second innings, Baroda were reeling at 41/6. However, a vital half-century from skipper Krunal Pandya (55) and lower-order contributions helped them set a target of 262 for Mumbai. Despite efforts from Siddesh Lad (59) and Shreyas Iyer (30), Mumbai fell short of the target and were bundled out for 177 runs.
Bhargav Bhatt's bowling prowess seals victory for Baroda
Undoubtedly, the star of the match was Bhargav Bhatt, whose left-arm spin bowling was too much for Mumbai to handle. He took four wickets in the first innings and six in the second, ending with a total of 10 wickets for the match. His performance earned him Player Of The Match honors and was instrumental in securing Baroda's victory.
