Mumbai narrowly escaped a second consecutive defeat in the Vijay Hazare Trophy after a bold but questionable batting strategy almost derailed their chase against Hyderabad. On Monday, in Ahmedabad, Mumbai overturned their batting order, but the plan backfired before Shreyas Iyer and Tanush Kotian combined to seal a hard-fought three-wicket victory.
Reversed Batting Order Leads to Collapse
Playing on the Sardar Patel Stadium B ground, where bowlers dominated the game, Mumbai opted for an unconventional approach, likely seeking to shake off their opening loss to Karnataka. Their revised top seven featured Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ayush Mhatre, Hardik Tamore, Suryansh Shedge, Atharva Ankolekar, Shardul Thakur, and Kotian.
The experiment quickly unraveled as Mumbai slumped to 67 for six by the 13th over. The restructured middle order added a mere 11 runs collectively, with two players dismissed for ducks, leaving Mumbai in a precarious position.
Lower Order Steps Up
Following Shardul Thakur’s dismissal for a duck, Suryakumar Yadav walked in at No. 8, while captain Shreyas Iyer and Shivam Dube remained in reserve at Nos. 9 and 10. Kotian, who earlier in the day was named as Ravichandran Ashwin’s replacement in India’s Test squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, joined Suryakumar to stabilize the innings.
The pair built a crucial 38-run partnership before Suryakumar’s dismissal. Iyer then took charge, smashing an unbeaten 44 off just 20 balls, featuring four boundaries and three sixes. Together with Kotian, who contributed a vital 39 off 37 balls, the duo put on a match-winning 70-run stand, guiding Mumbai to victory in just 25.2 overs.
Bowlers Shine in Low-Scoring Encounter
Earlier in the day, Mumbai’s bowlers set the stage for the chase by restricting Hyderabad to 169 in 38.1 overs. Atharva Ankolekar starred with figures of 4/55, while Ayush Mhatre picked up 3/17 and Kotian chipped in with 2/38. Hyderabad’s top performers included Tanmay Agarwal (64) and Aravelly Avinash (52), but the team fell short of mounting a competitive total.
Looking Ahead
Mumbai, now with one win under their belt, will face Arunachal Pradesh in their next game at the Gujarat College Ground in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
Brief Scores:
Hyderabad: 169 in 38.1 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 64, Aravelly Avinash 52; Atharva Ankolekar 4/55, Tanush Kotian 2/38, Ayush Mhatre 3/17).
Mumbai: 175/7 in 25.2 overs (Tanush Kotian 39, Shreyas Iyer 44; Saranu Nishanth 3/42, Mohammad Muddasir 2/55).
Mumbai won by three wickets.
