Shardul Thakur slammed his maiden first-class century in the crucial Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu on Sunday. The all-rounder reached the feat in style with a maximum over long-off. Shardul has dropped out of the Indian team as he failed to get his place in the squad for the ongoing Test series against England.
Thakur made a big statement with a fighting century to help Mumbai strengthen their position in the match after R Sai Kishore’s six-wicket haul. Mumbai kept losing wickets at regular intervals courtesy Sai Kishore’s brilliant bowling but Thakur counter-attacked the Tamil Nadu bowlers with a 109-run knock off 105 balls. His knock was laced with 13 fours and four sixes as Mumbai managed to take a lead of over 150 in the first innings.
Shardul smacked S Ajith Ram for a maximum when he was batting at 95 to score his maiden first-class ton in 89 balls. The star all-rounder also celebrated the feat in style by punching in the air, he also pointed a finger towards the dressing room. While Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane was also pumped at the sidelines after Thakur smashed the maximum.
The 32-year-old came out to bat when Mumbai were seven down for just 106. He shared a 105-run stand with wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore (35) to revive the hosts innings.
He later joined hands with tailender Tanush Kotian to stitch a 79-run partnership which paved the way for Mumbai to take a hefty lead over Tamil Nadu in the first innings.
Kuldeep Sen ended Thakur’s stay in the middle for 109 as the Mumbaikar edged the ball behind the stumps to N Jagadeesan.
Thakur also impressed veteran India offie Ravichandran Ashwin with his sensational century. Taking to X, Ashwin posted: “Dey lord beefy! Enough da #MumbaivsTN #RanjiTrophy.”
Meanwhile, the two other Mumbai stars Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer had forgettable outings with the bat. Iyer, who was recently omitted from the BCCI central contract list, failed to impress on his Ranji return and was outfoxed by Sandeep Warrier for just 3. On the other hand, out of favour Rahane’s rough patch continues as he scored 19 in the crucial match.
Earlier, Sai Kishore, who made his international debut last year in the Asian Games, kept taking wickets at regular intervals to give Tamil Nadu hope to bounce back in the crucial semi-final.
