Mulani and Kotian bowl Mumbai to a fourth straight win over Railways at the Brabourne

Mumbai made it four wins from four Ranji Trophy matches, holding off a Railways chase that reached 265 at the Brabourne Stadium to win by 106 runs

Set 372 on the final day, Railways lost three wickets before lunch and slipped to 83 for 5, a position from which the match looked settled.

Eshaan Goyal and Zubair Ali then added 167 for the sixth wicket, both reaching hundreds, before a diving catch by Sarfaraz Khan ended the stand and the innings folded for 265.

Tanush Kotian, whose 7-45 had bowled Railways out in the first innings, was named player of the match for nine wickets across the game. Mumbai stay top of Elite Group D on 27 points.

Kotian's seven-for opens the match up

Railways chose to bowl on the opening morning and Mumbai batted into the third day for 396 in 123.3 overs, Shams Mulani top-scoring with 71 and Himanshu Sangwan returning 4-88.

Kotian then turned the game. His 7-45 dismissed Railways for 259 in 79.5 overs and handed Mumbai a first-innings lead of 137, with the bonus point that came with it.

Saxena's hundred sets the target

Mumbai batted again rather than enforce the follow-on, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi made 79 from 85 balls to push the lead past 300.

The tempo mattered as much as the runs. Raghuvanshi scored at close to a run a ball, and Mumbai reached their declaration inside 43 overs, buying the bowlers a full final day.

Divyaansh Saxena completed his hundred on the final morning and was unbeaten on 100 from 136 balls when Mumbai declared on 234 for 4 in 42.5 overs, leaving Railways a day to make 372.

Goyal and Zubair Ali take the game back

Mulani struck three times in the morning session and Railways were 67 for 3 at lunch, then 83 for 5 shortly afterwards.

Goyal, the opener, and Zubair Ali, batting at No. 7, dug in through the afternoon. Goyal reached his century from 136 balls and Zubair Ali from 102, and their partnership of 167 came from 212 balls across 156 minutes.

When the stand was finally broken Railways were 250 for 6, still 122 short of the target with four wickets in hand.

With the target shrinking, Mumbai captain Siddhesh Lad conceded afterwards that the draw had entered his thinking. "That (a draw) was always on the back of mind, because we had won the first innings," he said.

Sarfaraz's catch breaks the stand

The breakthrough came when Goyal top-edged a sweep at Musheer Khan and Sarfaraz Khan, who had put down a chance earlier in the innings, ran from first slip towards leg slip to take the catch diving.

The celebration that followed was emphatic enough that the Mumbai physio came onto the field to check on the fielder.

Zubair Ali fell soon after for 115, caught at mid-off by Suryansh Shedge off Musheer, and Kotian held a one-handed catch at short midwicket to remove the eighth wicket.

Mulani finished with 4-69 and Toufik Uddin Mondal took 3-43 as Railways were bowled out for 265 in 77.2 overs, 106 short of their target.

Lad credits the fielding

"We always felt that we were just one wicket away from winning," Lad said after the match.

He singled out the catch that turned it. "Sarfaraz, what he did was outstanding. He's a special fielder," Lad said, adding: "But the effort from the boys was special."

Four wins from four leaves Mumbai clear at the head of Elite Group D, with Lad looking further ahead. "We have a long journey ahead and we want to do something special," he said.

Scorecard: Mumbai 396 (Shams Mulani 71; Himanshu Sangwan 4-88) and 234 for 4 declared (Divyaansh Saxena 100 not out, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 79) beat Railways 259 (Tanush Kotian 7-45) and 265 (Zubair Ali 115, Eshaan Goyal 103; Shams Mulani 4-69) by 106 runs