Sarfaraz Khan's 154 and Avasthi's five-for seal Mumbai's innings win in Bilaspur

Mumbai made it two wins from two in the Ranji Trophy on Wednesday, beating Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs at the Luhnu Cricket Ground in Bilaspur

Mumbai were never behind after the opening morning. Having won the toss and chosen to field, they bowled Himachal out for 140 in 39.5 overs, batted once, and declared on 528 for 8.

Centuries from Sarfaraz Khan and wicketkeeper Akash Anand built a first-innings lead of 388, a deficit Himachal were still 97 short of clearing when they were bowled out a second time on the final day.

Seamer Mohit Avasthi closed the match out with 5-44 from 17.1 overs.

Deshpande sets the tone on the opening day

Himachal never recovered from the first morning. Tushar Deshpande took 4-46 from 13.5 overs as the hosts were dismissed inside 40 overs, following the five-wicket haul he took in Mumbai's previous match.

Akash Vasisht's 39 was the top score of the innings. Captain Pukhraj Mann made 35, and no one else passed 30.

Sarfaraz and Anand take the game away

Sarfaraz Khan made 154 from 228 balls with 19 fours, and had batted through the middle of the innings by the time he was dismissed.

Anand finished unbeaten on 117 from 239 balls with 14 fours. The pair added 210 for the fifth wicket, the stand that settled the match.

Captain Siddhesh Lad contributed 87 from 188 balls with 14 fours and a six, and Musheer Khan 57 from 137 balls, so four Mumbai batters passed fifty.

Mumbai had reached 398 for 4 in 123 overs by the close of the second day, a lead of 258 by then, with Sarfaraz 139 not out and Anand 58 not out and the fifth-wicket stand worth 176 unbroken.

Jitender Rana was the most successful of the Himachal bowlers with 4-108 from 26 overs, and Abhishek Kumar took 2-90 from 27. Mumbai declared on 528 for 8 after 151 overs.

Himachal dig in without closing the gap

Facing a deficit of 388, Himachal batted with more application second time around, lasting 99.1 overs for their 291.

They had closed the third day on 144 for 3 in 56 overs, still 244 behind, with opener Innesh Mahajan having made 37 from 91 balls before Mann and Kalta saw out the evening.

Vaibhav Kalta made 63 from 169 balls and Mann 50 from 126, the only two scores past fifty in the innings.

Neither stand went far enough. Himachal were batting to avoid an innings defeat rather than to win, and they did not get close enough to make Mumbai bat again.

Avasthi finishes it

Avasthi's 5-44 from 17.1 overs was the decisive spell of the second innings, and ended a Himachal resistance that had taken the match into its fourth day.

Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani took 2-52, and Deshpande, who had done the damage on the opening day, finished with four wickets in the first innings.

Two from two for Mumbai

The result is Mumbai's second win from two matches in Elite Group D, and their second inside four days.

The 42-time champions have now won both their fixtures of the campaign, this one without being asked to bat a second time.

Himachal, bowled out twice for a combined 431 against a total of 528 for 8, were beaten with a day to spare on their own ground.

Scorecard: Himachal Pradesh 140 (39.5 ov; Akash Vasisht 39, Pukhraj Mann 35; Tushar Deshpande 4-46) and 291 (99.1 ov; Vaibhav Kalta 63, Pukhraj Mann 50; Mohit Avasthi 5-44, Shams Mulani 2-52) lost to Mumbai 528 for 8 declared (151 ov; Sarfaraz Khan 154, Akash Anand 117*, Siddhesh Lad 87, Musheer Khan 57; Jitender Rana 4-108, Abhishek Kumar 2-90) by an innings and 97 runs.

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