Pandit hails Shreyas Iyer's 'fearless' performance

Shardul Thakur, who has developed a recent reputation of being Mumbai's most reliable batter, was out first ball in his side's second innings but Mumbai could afford this rare failure from their star all-rounder. Prior to Shardul's arrival at the crease, Musheer Khan and Shreyas Iyer had effectively taken the match away from the Vidarbha side in the Ranji Trophy final. Their daunting 168-run partnership for the fourth wicket could prove too daunting for the visitors to contend with. With a lead of over 500 runs (538 is the target and Vidarbha were 10 for no loss at stumps on Day 3), the 42nd Ranji title for Mumbai appears inevitable, leaving aside the uncertainties that the game is renowned for.

Vidarbha, however, sounded equally confident with Harsh Dubey saying they will go for the target. "We are positive and confident. We have nothing to lose and we will go for the target," Dubey, who claimed a five-for in the Mumbai second innings, said.

Musheer and Iyer joined forces during the first session of Day 3, following an early dismissal of overnight unbeaten batsman Ajinkya Rahane for 73. While the captain redeemed himself with a well-crafted half-century, marking his best performance in eight matches of the season, it was Iyer's innings that stood out as a timely redemption. Having faced scrutiny due to a string of low scores, including a disappointing 7 in the first innings, Iyer needed a big one in the second innings. He rose to the occasion with a blistering knock of 95 runs, featuring 10 fours and three sixes. It was a travesty of justice that he missed his century but he had done his job of consolidating Mumbai's position in the final.

"It was an important innings for Shreyas and he delivered it when it mattered. Although in a different format, his innings resembled the one in the World Cup semifinal here at the Wankhede against New Zealand (he had scored 105 off 70 deliveries then). He is playing good cricket and it was bad luck that he could not score big runs in the last few games. The fact that he smashed 10 boundaries and three sixes is an indication that he is playing fearlessly and is not changing his style of play. The innings will stand him in good stead," said Chandrakant Pandit, the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, the team that Iyer will captain in the upcoming season of the IPL.

Pandit felt that Musheer (136 off 326 deliveries) is a typical Mumbai batsman who likes to play long innings. "I liked his approach and his partnership with Iyer may have made things difficult for Vidrabha. But the best knock I think came from Ajinkya (73). He scored those runs when Umesh Yadav was in the midst of a good spell. Now with so many runs on the board, it will be very difficult for Vidarbha," Pandit, who had coached Vidarbha to two Ranji titles in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, told Cricbuzz.

Iyer matched Musheer shot for shot, showcasing fearlessness in his execution of big shots. However, in his bold attempt to clear the ball over the fence, which would have propelled him past the three-figure mark, he got out. He failed to make proper contact with the ball as the willow slipped out of his hand, resulting in his dismissal of being caught at long-off. Although his departure from the crease was marked by ill luck, Iyer's contribution still left a strong impact, underscoring his class and will.

"Batting with Test players makes my work easy. I am happy that I got a century in the final. It was my dream. It was a good stand with bhai (Iyer), he was explaining to me what to do. We planned to bat for the whole day," Musheer, who scored his century in front of Mumbai legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Dilip Vengsarkar and Pandit, said, adding that Mumbai bowling is strong and the players are confident of bowling out the visitors soon on Tuesday.