Entering Day Two at 327/6, Gopal Koli, coach of IES VN Sule (Matunga), had every reason to feel optimistic about his side’s chances against IES Raja Shivaji (Matunga) in the semifinals of the MSSA Harris Shield at Shivaji Park on Wednesday.
Despite his side being dismissed within 15 overs, taking the score to 355, Koli did not look bothered. He had faith in his bowlers, who had combined to restrict IES Raja Shivji to 189/7 at stumps. The school from Matunga now lead by 166.
“Om Jadhav did the talking on Tuesday with his knock of 150. That set the foundation for the second day. It was up to the bowlers on Wednesday to show why I wasn’t that concerned about defending the total. And I wasn’t let down.” said Koli, who’s been coaching the school for 32 years.
Repaying his faith was Dhruv Vedak, left-arm spinner, who was a constant threat to the Raja Shivaji side and was rewarded with four wickets.
The other semifinal tie between defending champions Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) and Anjuman E Islam Urdu (Fort) is evenly poised. Replying to Rizvi’s 327, Anjuman were 101/2, trailing by 226 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Resuming their first innings at 202/6, Rizvi sailed past the 300 mark with half-centuries from Azim Shaikh and Shoaib Siqqiqui.
“You can’t ask for more when your Nos. 7 (Shoaib) and 9 (Azim) put up 100 runs on the board. We could have done with a couple of wickets more. It’s too close to call,” said Rizvi coach Raju Pathak.
Brief scores (semifinals): IES VN Sule (Matunga) 355 (O Jadhav 160, A Doiphode 7/68) vs IES Raja Shivaji (Matunga) 189/7 (S Kulkarni 4/34); Rizvi Springfield (Bandra) 327 (S Verma 73, S Siddiqui 59, A Shaikh 55; A Yadav 5/130, S Pathan 5/62) vs Anjuman E Islam Urdu (Fort) 101/2 (H Yadav 43*)
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