Mumbai were seeking ‘Lord’s intervention’ on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu in Mumbai. After restricting the visitors to a below-par 146, the 41-time champions were in a spot of bother themselves as the scoreboard read 106/6 in 48 overs.
Mumbai were still 40 runs behind and the pressure was building up when Shardul Thakur stepped in. Fondly called the ‘Lord’, Thakur pulled Mumbai out of danger with his maiden First-class century. The all-rounder scored 109 runs off just 105 balls, including 13 fours and 4 sixes. He was striking a strike rate of 103.80 and notched up the triple figures with a maximum.
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Mumbai were gasping for breath and Thakur got them the much-needed respite. He played every ball to its merit and didn’t shy away from punishing the loose ones. He took on Tamil Nadu’s captain Sai Kishore, scoring 11 runs in one of his overs and putting the back on the opponents.
During his brief stay in the middle, Thakur featured in a couple of impactful partnerships for the 8th and 9th wickets, respectively. He joined hands with keeper-batter Hardik Tamore in a 105-run stand and then put in 79 runs for the 9th wicket with Tanush Kotian, handing Mumbai a healthy lead in the first innings.
‘International Comeback is Far’
Will Thakur’s century in the semi-final open the doors of the Indian Test team once again? The all-rounder doesn’t think so.
“I think International comeback is far from now,” Shardul told the media after the day’s play.
“It’s far because the Test is already out for the 5th game (against England) and after this, we are going into the IPL. So it’s quite far. I am not thinking that far. But yes scoring a century is a big relief,” Thakur added.
Maiden First-Class Hundred
This was Shardul Thakur’s maiden First-class century in his 11 years of playing red-ball cricket for Mumbai. The all-rounder believes that the reason for getting his first century so late was his batting order at the start of his career.
“It’s surprising because when I started off, Mumbai used to send me at number 10 and 11. I had to work my way up. Started batting at 8 when I played for India and then only Mumbai gave me an opportunity now to bat at 8. Probably more hundreds will come now,” Thakur said,
“Also it’s a big opening that we should promote the all-rounders in Mumbai cricket,” he added.
‘I Like Pressure Situations’
Shardul has a knack of stepping up for his team under intense pressure. From that match-saving partnership with Washington Sundar in Gabba, in 2021, to this Ranji semi-final, he has always scored runs when his team needed it the most.
“I like these kind of situations,” said Shardul.
“As a player when you play with so much passion, you wait for these moments. When the team is down, you want to lift the team up with your performance. You want to do something in the middle which will change the game. I am always waiting for these kinds of situations and opportunities to showcase my talent,” the all-rounder added.
Thakur will have to do a good job again on day 3 for Mumbai but this time, with the ball in his hands as the home team will be looking to dismiss Tamil Nadu within their lead score.
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