Ranji Trophy : Shardul shows ton of courage

Mumbai, March 3

Shardul Thakur’s sizzling 109 and Tanush Kotian’s unbeaten 74 offset R Sai Kishore’s six-wicket haul, putting Mumbai in command by powering them to a 207-run first-innings lead over Tamil Nadu on the second day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal here today.

Thakur’s sensational counterattacking hundred, featuring 13 fours and four sixes from 105 balls, pulled Mumbai out of the doldrums after they were reduced to 106/7 at one stage.

Mumbai were 353/9 at stumps against TN’s first innings 146, with Sai Kishore causing the maximum damage. Sai Kishore (6/97) ran through a chunk of Mumbai’s batting line-up, while Shreyas Iyer (3) fell to pacer Sandeep Warrier.

But Thakur launched a stunning onslaught, putting each of the TN bowlers under severe pressure while forging vital partnerships along the way to take Mumbai far ahead in the game.

Thakur teamed up with Hardik Tamore (35) for a crucial 105-run stand for the eighth wicket and took Mumbai further ahead in the company of Kotian, adding another 79 runs for the ninth wicket.

Thakur pierced the gaps at will and did not miss out clearing the field, one of his sixes bringing up his maiden century across formats.

Thakur, who also struggled with an ankle-related issue along the way, finally fell to Kuldeep Sen (2/65) in the third session, which brought the pair of Kotian and Tushar Deshpande together again after their heroics in the last match.

“We (got) bogged down a little in the first session. There was not too much happening today on the pitch and I felt batsmen should have played with some kind of freedom to start with in the first innings,” Thakur said. “In big games, if you are scared then you tend to lose the wickets or performance might not come your way, so might as well play with freedom and that was the whole idea when I started batting,” he added.

Sai Kishore ended his counterpart Ajinkya Rahane’s 67-ball vigil for a mere 19 by getting him caught at the first slip. Musheer Khan (55 off 131 balls) continued to take giant strides, shouldering the responsibility of getting runs for his side.

While Sai Kishore took his tally of wickets past 50 this season, the TN skipper remained focussed on the ultimate prize. “Honestly, I do not go after wickets. All that matters is the championship, I am actually going for it. Another 11 wickets to go, I don’t know what tally I am on but another 11 wickets to go,” he said. — PTI

Himanshu ton gives MP edge

Nagpur: Himanshu Mantri (in pic) showed patience and technical aptitude while constructing a fine hundred to singlehandedly guide Madhya Pradesh to 252 in their first innings against Vidarbha on the second day of their semifinal. Mantri’s 126 off 265 balls, with 13 fours and one six, helped Madhya Pradesh to gain a small yet significant 82-run lead after beginning the day at 47/1. In their second innings, Vidarbha reached 13 for the loss of Atharva Taide at stumps, trailing by 69 runs. The importance of Mantri’s knock, his third hundred of the season, can be gauged from the fact that the next highest score in the MP innings was a 30 by Saransh Jain. Pacers Yash Thakur (3/51) and Umesh Yadav (3/40) did most of the damage for Vidarbha.

Brief scores

Tamil Nadu: 146; Mumbai: 353/9 in 100 overs (Thakur 109, Kotian 74*, Musheer 55;

Sai Kishore 6/97)

Vidarbha: 170 & 13/1; Madhya Pradesh: 252 in 94.3 overs (Mantri 126; Yadav 3/40, Thakur 3/51, Wakhare 2/68)