14-Dec-2008 98
Ajinkya Rahane`s career best knock of 201 powered 37-time champions Mumbai to a thumping 315-run victory over a depleted Orissa on the third day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group-A match at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack today.
Chasing a himalayan target of 433 for win, hosts Orissa folded up for 118 with skipper Shiv Sundar Das and his fellow opener Bikash Swarup Pati unable to bat due to injury.
The win fetched group leaders Mumbai five points and increased their tally to 26 points from six matches, while Orissa continued to lie at the sixth place with nine points secured earlier.
Resuming at the overnight score of 133 for three, Mumbai rode on Rahane`s double century (201 off 244 balls, 4x24, 6x1) to declare their second innings at 361 for five. Captain Wasim Jaffer (66) and Sahil Kukreja (53) contributed a half-century each to the total.
In the absence of Das and Pati, a nine-men Orissa then crumbled like a pack of cards to give Mumbai their fourth win in the eight-team group. Makeshift operner P Jayachandra was the only batsman to put up some resistence by hitting a defiant 72 (105b, 4x9, 6x1).
Besides the humiliating defeat, Orissa suffered two more setbacks because of injury to Das and Pati. While skipper Das injured his hand on the opening day, Pati dislocated his shoulder on the penultimate day. Both are now doubtful to feature in the seventh and last match against Gujarat to be played at Bhubaneswar from December 18 to 21.
And on the top of it, Orissa missed the services of chief coach Venkatpathy Raju, who resigned citing personal reason even though Orissa Cricket Assocition maintained that it had not received any official communication from the former India and Hyderabad spinner.
Brief scores: Mumbai 180 and 361 for 5 decl (Ajinkya Rahane 201, Wasim Jaffer 66, Sahil Kukreja 53: Debasis Mohanty 2/54, Basant Mohanty 2/67) beat Orissa 108 and 118 for 8 (P Jayachandra 72: Rahil Shaikh 3/30, Ankit Chavan 2/19, K Waigankar 2/39).
