Uttar Pradesh's biggest worry this season has been their seam bowling, especially the inability to find strike bowlers. While key seamers, Praveen Kumar and Sudeep Tyagi, are out with injuries, RP Singh is struggling with form. The only consistent performer has been Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
The problem continued to haunt the former champions against Mumbai on the second day of their Elite Group 'A' match.
In three different spells, RP Singh bowled 14 overs and conceded 56 runs at four-runs-per-over, whereas Bhuvaneshwar sent down 11 overs and conceded 18 runs. Both remained wicketless as Mumbai ended Day 2 at 414/9.
Leggie Piyush Chawla, who had just one wicket to his tally last evening, too appeared out of sorts and could add only one more to his kitty in the 22 overs he bowled on Wednesday.
Once again, fog delayed the start of play by 100 minutes.
Saving Grace
It could have been another painful day for the hosts, but for two youngsters. Coming back to the fold after two seasons, right-arm seamer Imtiyaz Ahmed removed overnight batsmen Dhaval Kulkarni (38) and skipper Wasim Jaffer (55) in quick succession. He then forced Suryakant Yadav (17) to offer a regulation catch to Bhuvaneshwar to register his career-best figures. Part-time offie Arish Alam too chipped in, scalping two for 18 in four overs.
The hosts could have had Jaffer when he was 13, but Tanmay Srivastava dropped the Mumbai skipper at forward short leg off RP in the eighth over of the morning.
{{/usCountry}}The hosts could have had Jaffer when he was 13, but Tanmay Srivastava dropped the Mumbai skipper at forward short leg off RP in the eighth over of the morning.
{{/usCountry}}Mumbai's batting clicked in patches on a placid turf. Jaffer and Kulkarni stitched together 100 runs for the fourth wicket while Hiken Shah and Murtuza Hussain (11*) added 53 for the ninth wicket.
Brief scores
Mumbai 414/9 (K Pawar 76, S Marathe 102, W Jaffer 55, B Kumar 2/82).