Shardul Thakur continued his exploits in the Ranji Trophy and claimed a six-wicket haul in the quarterfinal against Haryana. The fast-bowling all-rounder has been out of the Indian team and is now making a strong case for a comeback in the red-ball side for the upcoming series. The 33-year-old star has been showing good consistency with both bat and ball for Mumbai in the recent Ranji Trophy matches and grabbing the attention of the BCCI selectors and coaching staff with valuable contributions.
The Mumbai star ran riot with the ball in the Ranji quarterfinal to pull his team back into the game with a six-fer. His incredible spell helped the defending champions take a 14-run lead over Haryana to gain the upper hand. Shardul provided Mumbai with the first breakthrough with the crucial scalp of opener Lakshhya Dalal for 34. Meanwhile, he brought his A-game to the table in the later spell and dismantled Haryana’s lower-middle and tailenders on his own. He dismissed Haryana’s last five batters on his own to shift the momentum in Mumbai’s favour in the crucial clash.
The 33-year-old was disciplined in his line and length to trouble the Haryana batters, who claimed three lbws to break their backs. Mumbai bundled out Haryana for 301 after posting 315 in the first innings.
The fans on social media lavished praise on Thakur’s performances and suggested that he should be picked for the England tour in the summer.
The seamer has been on a redemption arc for Mumbai after a below-par white-ball season in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Thakur said conditions were tough in the white-ball tournaments, the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, in which his economy rate was high.
In VHT, he took 10 wickets in seven matches at an economy of 6.56, whereas in SMAT, he finished as the joint third-highest wicket-taker with 15 wickets in nine matches but at an economy rate of 10.51.
However, he has been in brilliant form with the red ball since the Ranji resumption as he claimed eight wickets in Mumbai’s last match, including a first-innings hat-trick, against Meghalaya to put their campaign back on track. Thakur and Tanush Kotian grabbed four wickets each as rampant Mumbai stormed to an innings and 456-run win over Meghalaya to top the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A table. Thakur received the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his four-wicket hauls in both innings and a knock of 84 in the first innings. The fast-bowling all-rounder showcased his stroke making and power-hitting skills during a 42-ball 84 at a strike rate of 200.
With a six-wicket haul against Haryana, Shardul has taken his tally to 30 wickets at an average of 23.95, with best figures of 6/58 this season. In nine innings with the bat, Thakur has scored 396 runs at an average of over 40, including a century and three fifties.
