Mumbai's top order clicks

Given first choice of the wicket, the Mumbai top order said `thank you' to Rajasthan as they performed commendably to help their team to get 280 for five wickets at close on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match at the Wankhede stadium on Saturday.

Skipper Sameer Dighe (32) and Amit Pagnis (47) led the way with a first wicket partnership of 101 runs off 36.5 overs that lasted three hours. Dighe faced 128 balls and hit four boundaries. Jatin Paranjpe, in good form this season, for once did not last long and was out for three. A little later Pagnis was dismissed after having faced 142 balls and hitting six of them to the ropes.

At 127 for three, Mumbai had surrendered the initiative. But Vinod Kambli (59) and Amol Muzumdar (63) set Mumbai on the road to recovery with a fourth wicket partnership of 102 runs off 24.4 overs. The left handed Kambli stroked the ball fluently and faced only 75 balls in compiling his knock which included nine hits to the fence. After his departure, Muzumdar and Sushant Manjrekar then continued the good work by adding 51 runs for the fifth wicket off 17.5 overs before the former was run out in the last over of the day. The in form Muzumdar faced 144 balls and hit three fours. At close Manjrekar was batting on 34 off 66 balls with six hits to the ropes. The Mumbai total was inflated by as many as 42 extras, 27 of them being no balls.