Shardul Thakur, currently out of the India team, smashed a counter-attacking century from No.8 for Mumbai vs Jammu & Kashmir in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy.
Thakur brought up his second first-class century, putting on an unbroken 150-plus stand alongside Tanush Kotian which saved Mumbai the blushes. At one point, the side looked down and out at 91-6, and then 101-7, but the duo put on a gritty partnership, with Kotian bringing up a hard-fought fifty from No.9.
Thakur stands tall after middle order combusts
The collapse came after a brisk opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Rohit particularly aggressive at the start of the innings. He hit three sixes and two fours in his 35-ball 28, slowing down considerably in the second half of his innings before Yudhvir Singh accounted for him. The bowler also took the wicket of Jaiswal, with Auqib Navi then denting the middle order.
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With half the side gone and barely any lead, Mumbai looked set to concede the game easily, but Thakur put on commendable resistance. Afflicted with cramps as he progressed into his innings, he hit 15 fours on his way to three figures, dropping his bat and raising his arms in celebration, much to the delight of the Mumbai dugout.
Second rescue act of the match
This is Thakur's third fifty-plus score of the season, having already hit a fifty in the first innings to rescue them from 47-7. Once he reached the score of 112 with a boundary, Thakur also registered his career-best first-class score, beating his 109 against Tamil Nadu last March.
Thakur, once a regular for India in all formats, hasn't featured for them since the 2023 Boxing Day Test. After his knock in the first innings, he had said: "I like batting in difficult conditions".
The innings could bring him back in discussion ahead of India's next Test series, to be played in England in June.
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