Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Shardul Thakur hits maiden first-class ton in semis against Tamil Nadu

Shardul Thakur smashed 109 runs against Tamil Nadu in first innings of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 semi-final game.

Indian all-rounder Shardul Thakur played a crucial knock in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023-24 semi-final between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu. Thakur, playing for his home team Mumbai, notched up his maiden first-class century on Day 2 of the match being played at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, BKC, Mumbai.

The all-rounder dominated the Tamil Nadu bowling attack and smashed a counter-attacking 89-ball hundred on a tricky pitch. He reached his maiden FC century with a six against Tamil Nadu’s Ajith Ram in the 81st over of Mumbai’s first innings.

Thakur saved his side Mumbai from a big batting collapse and bailed them out of trouble. At one stage, Mumbai were 106/7 in the 48th over. Shardul Thakur, along with Hardik Tamore, added a match-saving century run stand and pulled things back in Mumbai’s favor.

He was eventually dismissed by Tamil Nadu bowler Kuldeep Sen in the 86th over. The Mumbai batter amassed 109 runs off 104 balls at a strike rate of over 100. This knock came after he was not included in the Indian team for the five-match test series against England. 

Here is the Shardul Thakur’s century video:

Earlier, Tamil Nadu scored 146 runs in the first innings with none of the batters touching the 50-run mark. Mumbai pacer Tushar Deshpande picked up three wickets while Musheer Khan, Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian took two each.

In reply, Mumbai were in a disastrous state as Tamil Nadu skipper Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore picked up a wicket. Mumbai lost their seven wickets inside 50 overs before Shardul came to the rescue.

Meanwhile, Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer, who returned to the Ranji Trophy action after missing the quarterfinal game against Baroda had a poor outing of three runs from eight balls. Mumbai skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s poor form continued as he just managed to score 19 runs from 67 deliveries.

Young batter Musheer Khan, who is Sarfaraz Khan’s brother, hit a crucial fifty in the ongoing semis vs Tamil Nadu after smashing a match-winning double hundred in the quarter-final match.

With three days remaining in the match, the pressure is firmly on Tamil Nadu to find a way back into the contest. Mumbai, on the other hand, will be looking to capitalize on their strong position and secure a place in the Ranji Trophy final. Shardul Thakur’s dream ton has undoubtedly boosted their morale and put them firmly on the path to victory.

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