back icon

News

All-rounder Shardul Thakur helps Mumbai demolish Tamil Nadu by innings and 70 runs

article_imageMATCH REPORT
Last updated on 04 Mar 2024 | 10:59 AM
cricket.com staff
Google News IconFollow Us
All-rounder Shardul Thakur helps Mumbai demolish Tamil Nadu by innings and 70 runs

It wasn’t as one-sided game as the scorecard suggested, with Tamil Nadu having lost their edge only on day two of the clash

Beating a strong opponent by innings and 70 runs. 

Mumbai couldn’t have asked for a better statement win after losing the toss here at the BKC Ground. Sai Kishore’s decision to bat first turned out to be a disastrous move for the Southern state, who crumbled under early pressure to hand Mumbai a huge advantage. Shardul Thakur struck early to send back one of Tamil Nadu's main guns, Sai Sudarshan. It went from bad to worse for Tamil Nadu, losing four more wickets early in the hour. 

At 42/5, with Baba Indrajith too having walked back, Mumbai seemed to be in a dominant position but the partnership between Vijay Shankar and Washington Sundar (48 runs) helped Tamil Nadu stay in the game. Despite useful contributions from Mohammed and Ajith Ram, Sai Kishore’s men could only get to 146 in the first innings. 

It seemed all done and dusted. But then an inspired spell from the left-arm spinner Kishore turned the tide again. Not only did Kishore remove Lalwani on the first day’s play, he also returned to add a quick wicket to his overnight fortunes, dismissing Mohit Avasthi. However, Musheer Khan built a solid partnership with Ajinkya Rahane, adding 43 runs on the board. 

If not for Kishore, who picked up Rahane, Musheer (55), and Mulani, Tamil Nadu might have started giving up on their purpose already in the clash. Just when the southern state were eyeing a handy lead, Shardul Thakur came out of the syllabus with a sucker punch. 

Thakur did what Thakur does best: throwing the opposition’s plans out of the window. He didn’t hesitate one bit, taking on Tamil Nadu’s best spinner, Kishore, and smacking quick boundaries against his bowling. It didn’t stop there, as Thakur stitched up a scintillating partnership with Hardik Tamore, who literally batted Tamil Nadu out of the clash. 

While Kishore removed Tamore, Thakur didn’t stop until he scored his maiden First-Class century, making Thakur, Tushar Deshpande and Tanush Kotian the first No.9, 10 and 11 to score centuries in a First-Class series in the knock-out stages. 

When Thakur was dismissed at 290/9, there was still a glimmer of hope, but an 88-run 10th wicket partnership ensured that Tamil Nadu were dug deep in a pit that was impossible to recover from. With a 232-run lead, the onus was now on Sai Kishore and co to turn the tide around. 

Going 10/3 never helps, at least not when the team is still trailing by 222 runs, and losing three of your best batters makes it worse. While Baba Indrajith put on a fight alongside Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Vijay Shankar, even his efforts were futile when he nicked one off Mohit Avasthi’s bowling, on 70. 

While Tamil Nadu’s lower-order tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck with a positive approach, all of that ended when Tanush Kotian’s quicker delivery undid skipper Kishore. From thereon, it was just a formality left to be completed, as Tamil Nadu lost by an innings and 70 runs. 

Ajinkya Rahane’s men were yet again in a Ranji Trophy final, the 47th for the state, and their second final appearance in as many years, having last played in 2022 against Madhya Pradesh. 

It is also confirmed that the final will take place at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, with Mumbai now awaiting the results of the other semi-final. 

Match Summary: 


Mumbai 378/10 (Shardul Thakur 109, Tanush Kotian 89*; Sai Kishore 6/99) beat Tamil Nadu 146 all-out and 162 all-out (Baba Indrajith 70; Shams Mulani 4/53) by innings and 70 runs

Player of the Match: Shardul Thakur

Tags

Related Article

Loader