Ranji Trophy: Mumbai Close In On Win Despite Ruturaj Gaikwad's Century For Maharashtra

Defending champions Mumbai closed in on an outright win despite fine hundreds by Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and seasoned middle-order batter Ankit Bawne on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match on Sunday. Maharashtra were all out for 388 in their second innings, leaving Mumbai with a victory target of 74 with a full day's play left in the game. At 13 for no loss at stumps, Mumbai were just 61 away from victory with openers Prithvi Shaw and Ayush Mhatre batting on 7 and 6 respectively.

Bawne struck a terrific hundred (101 off 152 balls) after Gaikwad responded with a century of his own after his first-innings failure but these efforts were not enough to make up for their forgettable outing with the bat on the opening day when the visiting side was bundled out for 126.

Star player Gaikwad, who was out for a two-ball duck in the first essay in a team total of 126, led Maharashtra's charge with a 145-run knock that came off 171 balls, while Bawne, who made his debut way back in 2007 as a 15-year-old, also shone after missing out in the last outing.

Bawne, who hit 10 fours during his knock, however gave away his wicket to Shams Mulani right after reaching the three-figure mark.

Resuming on 80, Gaikwad began the third day of the match in stunning fashion as he hooked Shardul Thakur's short ball for a six over deep square leg. Two fielders were positioned in the deep but Gaikwad still went ahead with the shot, and succeeded.

Along with his overnight partner Sachin Dhas (98 off 208 balls), who got a golden duck in the first innings, Gaikwad added 222 runs for the second wicket, 141 of which came on the second day.

Playing in only his third first-class match, Dhas missed out on what would have been a