Anureet Singh toiled in the Delhi pre-season nets for about four years before deciding to shift westward, towards the Karnail Singh Stadium, to get his career on track. On Thursday, a slight movement off the wicket was enough for the 22-year-old to wreak havoc in the Mumbai batting order and keep Railways in the hunt in the Super League Group A encounter.
Anureet finished with five for 52 to help Railways bundle out Mumbai for 219 and concede only an 18-run lead.
The visitors, however, failed to build on the foundation provided by the bowlers, losing three wickets in their second essay with just 64 runs on board, a lead of 46 runs. Off-spinner Ramesh Powar scalped two of the three wickets to fall and Railways will now bank on the experienced duo of Sanjay Bangar (19 not out) and Yere Goud (5 not out) to provide the former champions an opportunity to press for an outright victory.
Brief scores: Railways 201 and 64-3 vs Mumbai 219 all out (S Kukreja 50; Anureet 5/52, Kartik 3/73.