Watch: In the 2024 Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu at Mumbai, Shardul Thakur scored his maiden first-class hundred.

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Shardul Thakur came into the 2024 Ranji Trophy semi-final against Tamil Nadu at the Bandra-Kurla Complex Stadium with an unusual career batting record: his Test batting average of 19.47 was higher than his overall first-class average of 16.97. In fact, outside Test cricket, the number read 16.48.

Opening bowling, Thakur had removed Sai Sudharsan with the fourth ball of the match, and later removed Vijay Shankar (44), the top scorer for Tamil Nadu in a total of 146. He finished with 2-48.

Mumbai, 45-2 at stumps on day one, reached 91-3 on the second morning before Tamil Nadu captain Sai Kishore wrecked their middle order with a five-wicket haul. They slipped to 106-7 when Thakur joined wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore.

The pair pushed the score to 125-7 at lunch before Thakur took the attack to the Tamil Nadu camp. He took only 58 balls to reach his fifty, and dominated a 105-run stand where Tamore made only 35.

Sai Kishore took out Tamore, but Thakur continued with Tanush Kotian, and soon went past his previous best first-class score of 87.

Shortly after tea, he brought up his maiden first-class hundred with an inside-out six off left-arm spinner Ajit Ram, dropped his bat and gloves, punched the air barehanded to celebrate, and paddle-swept the next ball for four. He took only 89 balls to reach the milestone.

At the time of writing, Mumbai were 302-9 with Thakur dismissed on 109. They lead by 156 runs.

Watch Shardul Thakur make his maiden first-class hundred:

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