Iyer double-hundred puts Mumbai on top

Mumbai's school of batsmanship is renowned for piling on big scores. Shreyas Iyer, Aditya Tare and Suryakumar Yadav gave a glimpse of the current generation being as hungry as anyone to follow in the footsteps of the giants of yesteryears by piling on the misery on a hapless Punjab attack.

Iyer and Yadav's record partnership, followed by captain Tare's hundred helped Mumbai tighten the noose around Punjab on the second day at Wankhede Stadium. On a day that saw Mumbai plundering 392 runs, the hosts ended 341 ahead of Punjab's 154 in the first innings.

If Punjab are to get out of the deep hole they have dug for themselves and return with at least a point, they will have to bat even better than Mumbai's consistent effort. Otherwise, Mumbai are on track for earning an outright victory.

Iyer's onslaught on Thursday evening had not allowed the Punjab bowlers to settle into a rhythm. And the stylish batsman continued in the same vein on Friday morning. With drives and flicks flowing freely off his bat, the Punjab bowlers couldn't find the desired line and length. Yadav played an uncharacteristically mature innings at the other end, playing in the V mostly.

Iyer raced from 81 to 95, driving legspinner Sarabjit Ladda twice in an over and following it up with a straight six in his next. With Yadav also playing straight, Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh employed a straight long-on for Ladda and left-arm spinner Varun Khanna. The fielder was so fine he was almost standing behind the bowler's arm. The ploy almost worked when Iyer, on 97, decided to go against the turn, but the ball landed in no-man's land.

Iyer treaded cautiously now, taking 14 balls for the next three singles that fetched him his third first-class hundred. Despite slowing down, Iyer had taken just 90 balls to raise three figures with a quick single after pushing Khanna to mid-on. The single also levelled the team totals.

Once he had crossed the landmark, Iyer freed himself even more. Yadav, who was given a reprieve at deep extra cover off Khanna on 34, also started accelerating. However, after being hit on the back of the helmet by a Siddarth Kaul bouncer at the stroke of lunch, Yadav began to appear fidgety after the break.

He started chasing wide deliveries and also attempted manufacturing shots in vain. Eventually, he stepped out to Ladda and missed for Gitansh Khera to complete an easy stumping. The 233-run partnership overhauled Mumbai's previous best for the third wicket against Punjab - 221 by Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar in the 1994-95 final.

Iyer, however, continued playing his shots. Soon after Yadav's dismissal, he took a toll on left-arm seamer Brainder Sran, hitting four successive boundaries on the off side followed by a huge six over his head. Once into the 190s, Iyer decided not to let the 90s syndrome hit him.

On 195, he attempted a heave off Khanna but Sran at deep midwicket failed to hold on to a running catch. Iyer pushed the next ball to long-on for a single that fetched him his maiden double hundred in first-class cricket.

The very next ball he faced, he failed to clear wide long-off against Yuvraj and Siddarth Kaul didn't falter while accepting the chance running to his left. It was up to Tare to take over the mantle of scoring from there and the Mumbai captain played a chanceless knock to remain unbeaten after crossing his sixth first-class hundred with a steer to the third-man boundary off Mandeep Singh.