Mumbai on the right track as Railways lose early wickets

First the heartbreak. Rohit Sharma missed his double hundred and looked distraught at lunch, shaking his head in annoyance.

First the heartbreak. Rohit Sharma missed his double hundred and looked distraught at lunch, shaking his head in annoyance.

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"I should have got it. I just played a bad shot," he said after a rank bad shot saw him get bowled of harmless Shreyas Khanolkar. His strokeplay was a treat to watch till the time he was there. The double was for the taking as Railways had no clue how to stop the batsman.

Despite the miss, the innings shored up confidence. "I am close to being 100 per cent fit," he said.

And then, joy for Mumbai. The tail wagged and Mumbai continued to pile on the misery as Ramesh Powar made 30 runs while Ankit Chavan hit 44. The duo propelled the visitors to 483 and put Mumbai in the driving seat.

If Railways thought they finally found some respite, they were mistaken. Opener, Khanolkar, who hauled a fiver, was sent back early. There was a brief partnership between Faiz Fazal and Shivakant Shukla but just as they thought they would see the day through without further damage, Powar struck. Putting a lot of loop, the 33-year-old was a delight to watch, bringing a classical touch to his off-spinners. He scalped Fazal and Shukla, both well-worked out dismissals.

Railways were 66/3 before bad light brought the day to an end.