With the result of the game a foregone conclusion, the focus on the final day of the Mumbai-Orissa Ranji Trophy game was on Zaheer Khan. Set to make his international return next week in the Test series against Sri Lanka after an injury break, Zaheer used the drawn game to bend his back and try all his tricks in his 24 overs.

His three wickets, along with left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla’s 4/52, gave Mumbai hope of getting the first innings lead and the resultant three points, but a resolute innings by Orissa one-drop batsman Niranjan Behara proved too high a hurdle to cross. Behera’s 77 not out meant Orissa, chasing 308 to surge ahead, finished at 243/8 when stumps were drawn.

Brief scores: Mumbai 307 for 4 in 77 overs (W Jaffer 165 not out, O Khanvilkar 33) drew with Orissa 243 for 8 (N Behera 78, B Pati 55, P Mallik 50; I Abdulla 4 for 52, Z Khan 3 for 100).