Gujarat were looking solid at 47/0 at the close of play on the fourth in pursuit of the 312-run target set by Mumbai at Indore.
This time, there was no lower-order fightback from the defending champions. It was their two senior men, skipper Aditya Tare (69) and the brilliant Abhishek Nayar (91) who took them to safety, setting a formidable fourth innings total. Nayar, once again, battled admirably with the tail, taking the attack to Gujarat. The left-hander smashed five sixes, batting with last man Vijay Gohil. Gujarat’s Chintan Gaja finished with figures of 6/121.
Gujarat run-machine Priyank Panchal was looking in terrific touch in the final stages of the day’s play after missing out on the first innings. Gujarat need another 265 to win but the odds are stacked against them. If they chase the total down, it will be an all-time record in the Ranji Trophy; Hyderabad got past 310 way back in the 1937-’38 season.
A draw would help Gujarat clinch the title for the first time in their history as they have the advantage of a first innings lead while Mumbai need ten wickets to win their 42nd trophy.
Brief scores:
Mumbai 228 and 411 (Abhishek Nayar 91, Shreyas Iyer 82; Chintan Gaja 6/121) lead Gujarat 328 (Rush Kalaria 27; Shardul Thakur 4/84) & 47/0 (Priyank Panchal 34 not out) by 264 runs.