Mumbai spun into spot of bother by Rekhade

Nagpur: Left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade struck thrice in an over as Mumbai slipped to a precarious 188/7 in reply to Vidarbha’s first innings total of 383, trailing by 195 runs at stumps on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Tuesday.

Mumbai opener Akash Anand was battling at one end, unbeaten on 67, with the last recognised batter, Tanush Kotian, on 5 not out at the other, as their title defence came under intense pressure from a disciplined and persistent Vidarbha side on their home ground at the VCA Stadium here. Mumbai were steady at 113/2 at one stage but Rekhade, playing only his second First-Class match, ripped open the Ranji champions’ batting line-up, first with an innocuous delivery which claimed the prized scalp of Ajinkya Rahane in the 41st over.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Azharudeen’s dogged 149 not out, his first hundred in red ball cricket in seven years, took Kerala to a commanding 418 for seven at stumps on Day 2 of their semifinal against Gujarat.

Kerala, who have not gone past the semifinals in the premier domestic red ball event, had resumed the day at 206/4.

Skipper Sachin Baby, who was on 69 overnight, did not trouble the scorers as he was removed by left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla on the second ball of the day. A 149-run stand between Azharudeen and Salman Nizar (52 off 202) followed, taking Kerala past the 350-run mark. On Day 3, Kerala would like to bat as long as possible and then aim for the all-important first-innings lead over the home team.