Ranji Trophy: Shams Mulani's all-round heroics power Mumbai against HP
What's the story
In a stellar performance, Shams Mulani led Mumbai to a resounding victory over Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 120 runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. The match, which took place at the MCA-BKC ground, saw Mulani score a fifty besides taking five wickets in the final innings. This all-round show further solidified his reputation as one of Mumbai's most reliable players. Here we decode his stupendous performance in the game.
Match details
Mulani scored 69 runs in the first innings
Mumbai posted a massive total of 446/10 while batting first. While Musheer Khan and Siddhesh Lad smoked hundreds, Mulani contributed with a fine fifty while batting at eight. He made 69 off 122 balls, a knock laced with nine fours. Mulani had added 75 runs with Tushar Deshpande for the ninth wicket. Meanwhile, HP were all out for 187/10 in response. This led to the enforcement of a follow-on. Mulani claimed two wickets in the innings (2/54 from 19 overs).
Bowling prowess
Mulani's exceptional spell restricts Himachal
In the game's third innings, Mulani was at his best with the ball as he ripped through the Himachal batting order. He took five wickets for just 37 runs in 15.1 overs, helping Mumbai bundle out their opponents for a paltry 139 runs. The seasoned spinner's performance ensured that none of the Himachal batters, except Pukhraj Mann (65), could even touch the 25-run mark.
Campaign
Three fifers in the season
With 24 wickets at an excellent average of 20.87, Mulani is among the leading wicket-takers in the ongoing tourney. The one against Himachal was his third fifer across seven innings in the season as his best figures read 7/46. The 28-year-old has also delivered consistently with the bat as his scores in the season read 91, 41, 39, 32, and 69. He is hence yet to be dismissed under 30.
Overall stats
19th fifer in FC cricket
With seven scalps in the aforementioned match, Mulani has raced to a tally of 259 wickets from 55 FC games at an average of 23.96. He registered his 19th five-wicket haul in FC cricket. With the bat, the southpaw has mustered 2,467 at an average of 33.33. He now owns 21 fifties (100s: 1). Notably, the all-rounder is yet to play a Test for India.