Follow UsShardul Thakur, on January 24 (Friday), registered his second first-class century to help Mumbai make a stunning comeback on day two of their Ranji Trophy 2024-25 fixture against Jammu and Kashmir at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC.
Mumbai looked down and out at one stage, leading by only five runs with just four wickets to spare, but that’s when Thakur (113* off 119) and Tanush Kotian (58* off 119) stepped up and put on an unbeaten stand of 173 runs for the eighth wicket. Thanks to them, Mumbai ended day two at 274/7, leading by 188 runs.
Mumbai were bowled out for 120 in the first innings, and even there, Thakur emerged as their leading scorer (51 off 57). With Mumbai struggling at 91/6 in the second essay as well, the 33-year-old once again stood up and has put his team in a pretty decent position on a tough batting surface.
Thakur combined both defensive techniques with an outrageous shot-making attitude, changing the complexion of the clash against J&K. The right-hander smashed 17 fours and took the attack to the J&K bowling unit. He got to his hundred with a single via a sweep shot and celebrated it in style.
Thakur, who last played a Test for India in December 2023, made his presence felt with the bat in the same match, where the likes of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube (0 and 0) struggled to get going.
Thakur’s maiden first-class century came last year against Tamil Nadu, where he scored 109 off 105 deliveries. Even in that encounter, Thakur helped Mumbai recover from 106/7 to 378 all out. In 17 first-class games since 2023, he has a batting average of 35.1, with five fifties and two centuries.
With India’s next Test assignment in England, Thakur’s stellar display might just earn him a return.