The 41-times Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai showcased their powerhouse talent against a Tamil Nadu outfit, who were spirited in this campaign, that came up a cropper when it mattered the most to lose by an innings and 70 runs as the host stormed into the final for the 48th time at the BKC-MCA Ground.
All it took for Mumbai to wrap things up on the third day was 58.4 overs, out of which 6.5 overs were used to extend their lead to 223.
The Mumbai bowlers comprising the pace troika of Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande and Mohit Avasthi and the spinners Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian were on song as they decimated the Tamil Nadu batting in just 51.5 overs.
Shams Mulani's 4/53 was the highlight of Mumbai's bowling as he got the back of lower-order batsmen. Kotian also picked up two wickets to complete the demolition job for Mumbai.
Early in the day, Thakur scalped the openers Sai Sudharsan and Narayan Jagadeesan cheaply while Avasthi got the better of Washington Sundar.
Baba Indrajith's knock of 70 was the only point of resistance as far as Tamil Nadu was concerned as he slammed nine fours in an innings that came off 105 balls.
Once Indrajith was taken out by Avasthi after he was caught behind to Hardik Tamore, it was only a matter of time for Tamil Nadu.
Vijay Shankar prolonged the inevitable with his 24 off 74 balls comprising a six but Mumbai were almost sniffing victory that eventually came in the 52nd over when Mulani got the wicket of number 10 Sandeep Warrier.
Mumbai will take on either Madhya Pradesh or Vidarbha in the final scheduled on March 10th.
Looking back at the game it was undoubtedly the proceedings on the second day that paved the way for Mumbai's win.
All-rounder Shardul Thakur's brilliant maiden First Class hundred and his partnerships with Hardik Tamore and Tanush Kotian saw the game turning Mumbai's way convincingly after Sai Kishore had them in all sorts of trouble.
The hosts are without the services of their star players Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan and are also dealing with the poor form of skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Prithvi Shaw but how the team's lower-order has fired in the semifinal shows the incredible depth in the Mumbai ranks.
The famous 'Khadoos' attitude that Mumbai cricket is known for and which was mentioned by Thakur on Sunday has ultimately led them to another Ranji Trophy final and hopefully on the cusp of their 42nd crown.
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