Overshadowing Shreyas Iyer in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy on Sunday, Shardul Thakur smashed a stunning century against Tamil Nadu. While premier batters Prithvi Shaw (5), Ajinkya Rahane (19) and Iyer (3) failed to fire against Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishor’s side, lower-order batter Shardul staged Mumbai’s comeback with his maiden first-class century at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy BKC.

Recovering from an ankle injury, Mumbai all-rounder Shardul raised his stocks by serving a timely reminder of his batting against Tamil Nadu. Countering Sai Kishore’s bowling heroics, Shardul rescued Mumbai from 106/7 as Rahane’s men reached 353/9 on Day 2 of the semi-final showdown. With Sai Kishore putting up a show for his side, all-rounder Shardul was effusive in his praise for the Tamil Nadu skipper.

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‘Quality left-arm spinner coming up after Jaddu’: Shardul

“He was bowling really well. After a long time, I could see a quality left-arm spinner coming up after Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja),” Shardul was quoted as saying by Sportstar during the Ranji Trophy encounter. Leading Tamil Nadu from the front, Sai Kishore ran through Mumbai’s formidable batting lineup. The Tamil Nadu skipper bagged six wickets and leaked 97 runs to enter his name into the record books.

Sai Kishore scripts history

Sai Kishore is the third bowler from the state to take 50-plus wickets in the season. The same feat has been previously achieved by S. Venkataraghavan (58 wickets in 1972-73) and Ashish Kapoor (50 in 1999-2000). Interestingly, Sai is also ruling the bowling charts with 53 wickets to his name. The Tamil Nadu captain averages 18.49 this season. “The ball came out really well, and I gave my best on the field. I am grateful to the almighty for that to happen,” Sai Kishore said. “Honestly, I don’t go after wickets, whether 30, 50, or 60. All that matters is the championship, and I am going for it. There are 11 more wickets to go (in this match),” he added.

Did you know?

Sai Kishore was once a part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp. The Tamil Nadu has also played for Gujarat Titans in the cash-rich league. He made his IPL debut against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in the IPL 2022. The 27-year-old has played only 5 IPL games. Last year, the Chennai-born made his India debut against Nepal at the Asian Games. The Tamil Nadu skipper has represented India in 3 T20Is.