Owing to Shardul Thakur’s all-round brilliance, Mumbai have reached a record-extending 47th Ranji Trophy Final. The juggernauts have been the most successful side in the domestic tournament’s 91-year history and have once again shown why they are the best after beating Tamil Nadu by an innings and 70 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal.
In what looked like a match between school kids and men, Mumbai rag-dolled Tamil Nadu at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai. Bowling first, the 41-time champions reduced their opposition to just 146 runs, with five of their six bowlers taking a wicket at least.
Shardul Thakur’s day out
On what seemed like a tough pitch, Mumbai too lost a flurry of wickets quickly. Despite Musheer Khan scoring a fifty, the home side were 106/7 at one point. However, when Shardul Thakur arrived, everything changed. He stitched a 105-run stand with wicketkeeper Hardik Tamore to cut down the trail to a 65-run lead.
He was then joined by Tanush Kotian, with whom he stitched a 79-run stand and scored his maiden first-class century in the process. When Shardul departed, the lead had extended to 144 runs. But Kotian wasn’t done. Along with Tushar Deshpande, he added 88 more runs but failed to score his second century, with Deshpande leaving him stranded at 89.
In the end, Mumbai scored 378 runs, adding a whopping 272 runs for the last three wickets and gaining a 232-run lead. The match was over then and there. In turn, they skittled Tamil Nadu for just 162 in the second inning.
Shardul, Mohit Avasthi, and Kotian took two wickets each, and Shams Mulani claimed a 4-wicket haul. His 109 runs with his team facing defeat and 4 wickets earned Shardul the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the Ranji Trophy 2024 semifinal.
For Tamil Nadu, Baba Indrajith and Sai Kishor seemed like the only shining lights. The batter top-scored (11 and 70), while the left-arm spinner took a 6-wicket haul and seemed like the only threat to the Mumbai batting order.
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