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 Thakur has dropped out of the Indian team as he failed to get his place in the squad for the ongoing Test series against England.
Shardul Thakur smashed a six to complete his maiden first-class century in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu.
On an otherwise routine day of domestic cricket, coming in the backdrop of 300 runs, the pinnacle moment of excitement arrived in the final session. Shardul Thakur, who had maintained an air of serene composure until then, suddenly let it rip, unleashing a sudden gush of adrenaline. It was an unexpected moment of exultation as Thakur put his helmet down, discarded his bat, and exuberantly thrust his fist in the air. The celebrations resembled that of a triumphant pugilist.
This display of intense emotion marked an impeccable century, attracting a standing ovation from the sparse crowd at Mumbai’s BKC Ground as Shardul Thakur gestured emphatically towards the dressing room. This splendid effort engineered a remarkable turnaround for Mumbai in their semifinal clash against Tamil Nadu.
Shardul Thakur makes a statement through his scintillating knock of 109 as Mumbai reach 353 vs Tamil Nadu
Shardul 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.
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 favor 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 but Shardul Thakur with his magnificent knock took the game away from Tamil Nadu. Kishore bowled a marathon spell and ended the day with figures of 6/97. The century helped Mumbai recover and race to a massive 207-run lead with the last pair still batting.
Scoring a century is a big, big relief – Shardul Thakur after his 109 in Ranji Trophy 2024 semi-finals
Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur has opened up on his maiden first-class hundred, which he smashed in the Ranji Trophy 2024 semi-finals against Tamil Nadu. The 32-year-old remarked that it was a massive relief for him to reach the three-figure mark. With Mumbai slipping to 106-7 at one stage in reply to Tamil Nadu’s 146, Thakur joined hands with Hardik Tamore to push their lead past the 200-run mark. The duo shared a 105-run stand, with Thakur reaching his ton in the 81st over with a six.
Speaking to reporters after the day’s play, the Palghar-born cricketer underlined that all he tried was playing fearless cricket.
“I did a celebration which came to mind. Scoring a century is a big, big relief. Besides, it was very important for the team at that point of time. In big games if you are scared then you tend to lose the wickets or performance might not come your way. So I might as well play with freedom and that was the whole idea when I started batting,” he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Following Thakur’s dismissal, Tanush Kotian kept the scoreboard ticking as he finished unbeaten on 74. He still has Tushar Deshpande for company as the pair have put on an unbroken 79.
Shardul Thakur emphasized that Runs for Mumbai are coming from lower down the order
With plenty of Mumbai’s star players currently playing in the Test series against England, Shardul Thakur believes they are bound to struggle slightly to keep the runs coming.
“You have to see that with Yashasvi playing for India now, Sarfaraz also being selected. And Prithvi who has just come back from injury, there was a big hollow (vacuum) which was created in the Mumbai batting lineup in top order. And Ajinkya probably is not in that good form right now. So there is a big hollow in the top order,” he stated.
“So it’s okay if you are going to have these kinds of seasons. But the good thing the runs are coming lower down the order. And it also shows the grit Mumbai players have and Khadoos attitude that we talk about that Mumbai has,” Thakur added.
With Mumbai already piling up 353, Tamil Nadu have their task cut out especially in the second innings as their first innings were folded for mere 146 runs and Mumbai will look to add some more runs for the last wicket before being all out in their first innings