Ranji Trophy: Shardul Thakur, after 11 years in first-class cricket, scores his first century as Mumbai take complete control

Or so Tamil Nadu believed. How naive. For, there is no such thing as the Mumbai tail.

Stumps on Day 2!

Mumbai move to 353/9

Sensational 💯 from Shardul Thakur, fifties from Musheer Khan (55) & Tanush Kotian (74*) have helped Mumbai extend the lead to 207

6⃣ wickets for Sai Kishore@IDFCFIRSTBank | #RanjiTrophy | #MUMvTN

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/9tosMLk9TT pic.twitter.com/ZHU8lBSGqg

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 3, 2024

Last time they batted, Mumbai’s No. 10 and 11 scored a century each. On Sunday, it was the turn of No. 9 – Shardul Thakur. In his 11th year of first-class cricket and playing his 81st match, the pacer scored his first-ever century. His brisk 109 (104 balls, 13×4, 4×6) ensured Mumbai’s ‘tail’ once again bailed them out.

On the ropes at lunch, the last three wickets added 247 runs and counting, as the 41-time Ranji champions ended Day 2 with a commanding 207-run lead. At stumps, Mumbai were 353/9.

At different times during this campaign, Mumbai have found different heroes. Against Bengal, it was Royston Dias and Atharva Ankolekar’s 46 each to take the total from 346 to 412. Tanush Kotian and Mohit Avasthi scored half-centuries to take Mumbai from 224/6 to 395 in the first innings against Andhra. And in the quarterfinals vs Baroda, the last three wickets scored 273 runs, with Kotian and Tushar Deshpande scoring a century each.

Sensational Shardul 💪💪

Shardul Thakur arrived at the crease with Mumbai in trouble at 106/7.

He turned it around with a spectacular counter-attacking maiden first-class 💯. 👌

Watch 📽️ is special knock 🔽@IDFCFIRSTBank | #RanjiTrophy | #MUMvTN https://t.co/QoC2P9s0GQ

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 3, 2024

Thakur rains on Sai Kishore’s parade

On Sunday, it was Thakur, with support from Tamore (35) and Kotian (74 batting), who rained on Sai Kishore’s parade.

The Tamil Nadu captain, who embarks on temple runs at the slightest of opportunities, must have hoped for some sort of divine intervention when his side left the field on Day 1. At least, he ensured there was no lack of trying.

Sai Kishore opened the day’s proceedings, a decision that raised a few eyebrows because it was windy and overcast. He bowled 25 overs in a row and by the end of the tireless marathon spell, the left-arm spinner was vindicated.

Fabulous fifer 👌👌

Captain Sai Kishore has spearheaded Tamil Nadu’s fightback against Mumbai with a splendid spell so far 👏👏

Relive 📽️ his brilliant spell @IDFCFIRSTBank | #RanjiTrophy | #MUMvTN | #SF2

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/9tosMLk9TT pic.twitter.com/zOhv6ZWuNt

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 3, 2024

He sent half of Mumbai’s batting line-up back to the pavilion by bowling slower through the air, getting it to grip and bounce while extracting a vicious turn on a pitch that had, until then, assisted seamers.

He drew Ajinkya Rahane and Musheer Khan forward with balls that were beautifully flighted and had them beat with turn and bounce. Rahane was caught at slips and Khan was stumped. Mulani, the batsman who masquerades as a tailender, was done in by a delivery that spun back sharply.

Sai Kishore’s heroics had reduced Mumbai to 106/7 when Thakur walked in. And it was only after he launched an all-out assault that the TN skipper took himself out of the attack.

Test discards on radar

For Thakur, who seemingly has hit a dead-end with his India career after being dropped from the Test side earlier in the year, it was an innings with which he can make a strong case to succeed Rahane as Mumbai’s captain. It was also a reminder to a couple of selectors, watching from the grandstand, of his all-round abilities.

Safe to say, it wasn’t Thakur who was on selectors and the sparse crowd’s radar when the day began. Between the two India discards, the focus was on Iyer but from the moment he walked in, Thakur seemed to be batting on a different surface.

Rahane was careful, Iyer never looked settled and Khan was restrained in his shot-making, something the conditions demanded. Thakur, however, was in a counter-attacking mode from the get-go. He cut and pulled, flicked and drove straight as well through the covers.

Suddenly, the TN players who circled the pitch like a pack of hounds when Thakur walked in were now scattered across the field, silenced by his fireworks. Even R Ashwin began feeling sorry for his Tamil Nadu teammates. “Dey lord beefy! Enough da,” Ashwin tweeted.

Lord Beefy, though, was in no mood to relent. He brought up his 50 in 57 balls and needed only 32 more deliveries to reach 100.

The shot that brought up his maiden hundred personified authority – stepping down the track and lofting Ajith Ram over the long-off.

It wasn’t a shot – no, innings – of a tailender. Then again, do Mumbai even have a tail?