Holders Rest of India would have been reasonably satisfied by the events that unfolded on the opening day of their Irani Trophy clash with hosts Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Murali Kartik and Sharandeep Singh held sway for the better part of the day with some teasing spin bowling but Rest allowed their opponents to claw their way back in the last hour and quarter. First a pesky last wicket pair added 42 to give the Mumbai total a modicum of respectability at 260. Then two late strikes by the Mumbai pace duo saw Rest totter to 23/2 in six overs batting and pave the way for an interesting contest tomorrow against the host team's own three man spin attack.

Mumbai began the morning watchfully against the new ball with first class debutant, Vinayak Mane, being entrusted with the job of opening with Wasim Jaffer. This was after Amit Pagnis had announced on the eve of the match that he had switched affiliation to Railways this season. Mane was in a spot of bother against Ashish Nehra twice edging just short or wide of the slip cordon. The seamers were getting good carry with keeper Ajay Ratra routinely collecting the ball at shoulder level. The introduction of Murali Kartik in the 16th over altered the tone of the game. In Kartik's first over Mane gave him the charge hoisting one over long on for six. When Mane rashly went for a walk again to a well tossed up delivery, the bounce defeated him and he was stranded down the wicket as Ratra took the bails off.

Jaffer was stroking the ball with assurance and a square cut off Shukla, his seventh boundary, brought up his fifty off 66 balls. Lefthander Kiran Powar did not keep him company for long. Kartik crowded him with four fielders around the bat rightaway and soon enough Powar was snapped up at slip by Laxman, driving away from his body. Kartik had his tail up now but was unlucky to have Jaffer dropped at the same position by Laxman off the last ball before lunch.

The hundred of the Mumbai innings came up shortly into the second session but Kartik's stranglehold over the batsmen continued. Jaffer was bowled off his legs for 56 while launching into a sweep and Kartik almost had two in two balls when Nishit Shetty turned one through Ramesh's legs at leg slip for what would have been a sharp chance.

Dodda Ganesh struck in the next over bringing one back sharply off the seam as Majumdar played back to win a leg before decision from umpire Jayaprakash and Mumbai were in a pickle at 114/4. Laxman rotated the seamers for a while at the pavilion end before belatedly turning to off spinner Sharandeep Singh in the 47th over. The proceedings had become quite soporific as Dighe and Shetty cautiously strove to earn the innings a semblance of respectability. Finally Dighe decided to throw caution to the winds, hoisting Sharandeep over long on for six in the off spinner's second over.

As if waiting for the cue from his skipper, Shetty went down on one knee and flatbatted Kartik over midwicket in the next over. But two balls later Kartik surprised him with a quicker delivery outside off stump which got the edge as it zipped through to Ratra. He finally came off after a splendid unchanged spell of 19-5-36-4. At the other end Sharandeep was finally getting into his rhythm and delivered a major blow to Mumbai with the first ball after lunch. Skipper Samir Dighe, having played an uncharacteristically subdued knock of 13 from 55 balls, got a tickle through to Ratra as he played forward. A handy bat in the lower order, Ramesh Powar immediately gave Laxmi Ratan Shukla some rough treatment, driving him for successive boundaries.

At the other end Mhambrey took up the cudgels against Sharandeep, swinging him into the Sunil Gavaskar stand at midwicket. But Sharandeep was rewarded for his persistence, having the batsman caught one handed by an agile Laxman, diving to his right at first slip. Pawar and Powar chanced their arm with a six apiece but neither showed the resolve to stay at the wicket for long.

Powar spliced Sharandeep to Kartik at midon after making a breezy 43 off 36 balls, inclusive of five boundaries and a six. Beanpole Nilesh Kulkarni made a strange contrast with pint sized Rajesh Pawar but they did not keep company for long. Pawar top edged an intended sweep which lobbed up for a simple catch to the keeper, giving both Ratra and Sharandeep their fourth victims of the day.

At 218/9 in the 73rd over, Rest of India would have been looking forward to retiring quickly to the dressing room only to be frustrated by Kulkarni amd Santosh Saxena who added 42 in 9.3 overs. Saxena who was bowled by Kartik noball helped himself to a six and two fours off a Sharandeep over to spoil the off spinner's figures. Finally Asish Nehra was recalled and he trapped Saxena leg before with a straight full toss for 27 (26 balls, 4 fours, 1 six), Mumbai finishing on 260 from 81.5 overs. Kartik with 4/73 and Sharandeep with 4/55 had done the bulk of the damage for Rest which would not have disappointed Mumbai and more particularly Messrs. Kulkarni, Pawar and Powar.

It was the Mumbai pace duo however which drew first blood as Rest faced the difficult task of negotiating six overs before close. After flicking Saxena for a boundary, Ramesh was adjudged caught by keeper Dighe. But he made his displeasure known in no uncertain terms, indicating to umpire Bansal that the ball had gone off his thigh.

In the third over Shiv Sunder Das was caught at slip by Wasim Jaffer off Mhambrey for a ten ball duck to leave Rest gasping at 8/2. Nightwatchman Murali Kartik (16 not out) eased the pressure, stroking three consecutive boundaries off Mhambrey, all delightfully timed as he played out time in the company of skipper Laxman on whose shoulders much will rest tomorrow.

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