Mantri century gives MP vital first-innings lead against Vidarbha

Wicketkeeper and opening batter Himanshu Mantri struck a patient 126 to help Madhya Pradesh take a crucial 82-run lead on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Vidarbha. He scored exactly half of MP's total of 252 in response to Vidarbha's 170 all-out.

Vidarbha ended the day on 13 for 1, still trailing by 69, having lost Atharva Taide to Avesh Khan, who picked up a four-for in the first innings.

Mantri held one end up firmly even as MP lost 3 for 12 in a middle-order collapse. MP had started day two at 47 for 1, with Mantri and Harsh Gawli as the overnight batters. But Yash Thakur broke the 61-run stand with the score on 81, trapping Gawli lbw for 25 in the 36th over. By the time the 42nd over ended, Umesh Yadav had dismissed captain Shubham Sharma for 1, while Thakur also got Venkatesh Iyer without scoring.

Mantri, who got a life when Karun Nair dropped him at slip on 38, calmly got to his half-century off 123 balls before Iyer fell. Alongside Sagar Solanki, he took time to rebuild from 93 for 4. They added 52 together for the fifth wicket before Thakur ran Solanki out for 26 in the 59th over.

It was time for a restart again, as Mantri now had Saransh Jain for company. In a rare show of aggression, Mantri smashed offspinner Akshay Wakhare for four and six off successive balls in the 62nd over, even as Jain got off the mark with a six. Jain had taken 15 deliveries to score his first run, but ticked along after that.

Mantri then got to his sixth first-class century in the 71st over, as both batters were content in gradually heading ticking past Vidarbha's first-innings total of 170. But MP lost a cluster of wickets in quick time again, losing their last five for just 38 from 218 or 5. The slide started when Wakhare removed Jain for 30 - the next best score after Mantri's century - before also getting rid of Mantri to break his resistance.

Aditya Sarwate, Thakur and Yadav then got a wicket each to wrap MP's tail up.