Chhattisgarh had a great start reaching 85 without loss but then lost their way to end up at 175 for 6, still trailing Mumbai by 240 runs. On a rain-marred day where the first one and half hours were lost due to unseasonal showers, Mumbai were bundled out for 416, their last two wickets managing to add just ten runs to the overnight score.
Ayush Pandey and Shashank Chandrakar gave a cracking start, tackling the Mumbai bowlers without much fuss. Mumbai hung around, realising they could crack open the game if one of their spinners settles into a rhythm on a slow pitch. The lanky offspinner Himanshu Singh got the breakthrough as he induced Ayush, who was on 50, to edge a defensive poke to the silly point fielder Angkrish Raghuvanshi.
With the ball beginning to turn more, and often keeping low, Mumbai spinners started to hassle the batsmen. Himanshu also removed the other opener Shashank, inducing him to edge to leg slip.
With two set batsmen walking back, Mumbai saw the opportunity to run through Chhattisgarh. The duo of left-arm spinners Shams Mulani and Musheer Khan got into the act. Musheer got the wickets of Sanjeet Desai and skipper Amandeep Khaire in quick succession while Mulani got Ashutosh Singh, who was batting nicely on 34 but was caught at silly point. The number seven Ajay Mandal too went to Mulani without any contribution to the total.
An evening showered ensured the day’s play would be heavily curtailed as the game had to be called off. Chhattisgarh were 175 for 6 at stumps, still trailing by 240 runs. They have their IPL star Shashank Singh batting on 20 with number eight professional Aditya Sarwate at the crease. Mumbai will hope to wrap up on the final day as they push on to get full points at home.
Brief scores: Day 3: Mumbai 416 vs Chhattisgarh (Ayush Pandey 50, Shashank Chandrakar 43, Ashutosh Singh 34, Himanshu Singh 2 for 22, Musheer Khan 2 for 29, Shams Mulani 2 for 41)
