At close on Day 2, Ministerial Services Sports Club (MSSC) were merely four runs ahead with only two second innings wickets in hand and a whole day’s play remaining.
After conceding a first innings lead of 181 runs, a star-studded MSSC line-up failed to click for the second time in the match and looked headed for innings defeat at 75/7 when Sooraj Rai (62) and Dipesh Parwani (42 n.o.) put up a brave fight, adding 65 runs for the eighth wicket. When Sooraj was dismissed by Aditya Sarvate at the score of 140, MSSC still needed 41 runs to make Navniketan CC bat again.
Dipesh and Sahil Sheikh (7 n.o) further frustrated their opponents, adding 45 runs in an unfinished ninth wicket stand that ensured that the final would spill onto the last day. It remains to be seen for how long these two batsmen can delay the inevitable when the match resumes on Friday.
BRIEF SCORES (At close Day 2)
Ministerial Services Sports Club 1st innings 94 all out in 32.2 overs
Navniketan Cricket Club 1st innings 275 all out in 72.4 overs (Akshay Agarwal 35, Akshay Wadkar 78, Tushar Gill 83; Sooraj Rai 3/66, Dipesh Parwani 3/57, Mandar Mahale 2/28)
Ministerial Services Sports Club 2nd innings: 185/8 in 51 overs (Sooraj Rai 62, Dipesh Parwani 42 batting; Abhishek Gupta 3/24, Aditya Sarvate 2/63, Suniket Bingewar 2/41)
Ministerial Services Sports Club lead by 4 runs with 2 wickets standing