Ranji Trophy: Mumbai beat Railways by 106 runs despite Eshaan and Zubair centuries

Mumbai defeated Railways by 106 runs at the Brabourne Stadium in the Ranji Trophy on Thursday to record their fourth consecutive outright win, with a turning moment provided by a diving catch from Sarfaraz Khan.

Divyaansh Saxena’s maiden unbeaten century (100 off 136 balls, 8x4, 1x6) helped Mumbai set a target of 372 after they posted 396 in the first innings, while Railways had replied with 259 in their first dig; Railways were reduced to 83 for five in the second innings before a substantial sixth-wicket stand.

Eshaan Goyal and Zubair Ali added 167 for the sixth wicket to lift Railways back into the contest, Eshaan scoring 103 off 201 balls (11x4, 1x6) and Zubair making 115 off 117 balls (14x4, 5x6), both capitalising on early reprieves and appearing comfortable on a surface offering little assistance to the bowlers.

After Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani had completed their opening spells, Mumbai turned to left-arm spinner Musheer Khan, who broke the partnership and finished with three wickets; Eshaan fell attempting a sweep when Sarfaraz, stationed at first slip, raced towards leg slip to complete a diving catch, then sprinted towards the dugout and, despite appearing briefly uncomfortable, returned visibly charged up.

With even captain Siddhesh Lad admitting that the thought of shaking hands had crossed his mind, a draw had seemed possible, but Musheer and Mulani combined to take Railways’ last five wickets for just 15 runs inside 12 overs to wrap up the innings.

The morning had belonged to Saxena, who celebrated his milestone by raising his bat, letting out a roar, dropping to one knee and lifting his jersey to reveal his chiselled six-pack abs; other contributors in Mumbai’s second innings included Angkrish Raghuvanshi (79) and Sarfaraz Khan (not out 29), Mumbai declaring on 234 for four in 42.5 overs (extras b-5, lb-9, wd-1: 15).

Mumbai’s bowling returns included Shams Mulani 23-5-69-4, Tanush Kotian 26-4-93-2 and Musheer Khan 14.2-5-42-3; Railways were all out for 265 in their second innings from 77.2 overs.

Mumbai have now made it four out of four in the Ranji Trophy, with the side’s attention set to shift to white-ball cricket.