A resolute Shardul Thakur played the rescue act to perfection for the star-studded but misfiring Mumbai, as his second first-class hundred brought the Ranji Trophy defending champions back from the brink in their Elite Group A clash against Jammu and Kashmir at MCA BKC Ground in Mumbai on Friday.
Having conceded a huge 86-run lead in the first innings, Mumbai were staring at a huge defeat after being reduced to 101/7 in the second innings before Thakur and Tanush Kotian put on a match-turning 173-run unbeaten stand for the eighth wicket to turn the tables on J&K.
Mumbai recovered to 274/7 in 67 overs at stumps on Day 2, ahead by 188 runs with Thakur unbeaten on 113, having stroked 17 fours in his 119-ball knock. At the other end, Kotian played the supporting role to perfection, with a resolute 58 not out off 119 balls.
Thakur battled cramps on multiple occasions and made the most of a reprieve, offering yet another reminder of his gritty character. Meanwhile, the young Kotian once again showcased his credentials as a promising player at the highest level with another valuable knock.
Mumbai had squandered an ideal start after Rohit Sharma (28) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (26) put on 54 for the opening wicket at a brisk rate.
The Indian Test openers, pairing up for the first time in Ranji Trophy, looked to take on the Jammu and Kashmir bowlers and got some success too.
While Rohit hit a trademark six over deep square leg and lofted two more deliveries for a similar result, Jaiswal, who looked to come down the wicket, also played positively during his brief stay.
Jammu and Kashmir's athleticism on the field and persistence from their bowlers overshadowed some howlers from the umpires -- Shreyas Iyer (17) was caught behind off Nazir but was not given out by the umpire S Ravi, while Ajinkya Rahane (16) had to be called back from the pavilion.
Rahane was caught behind by Kanhaiya Wadhawan off Umar Nazir, and the Mumbai skipper had made his way back to the stands while new batter Thakur walked out to the field when on-field umpires S Ravi and Navdeep Singh Sidhu adjudged the delivery to be a front-foot no-ball.
Rahane was called back, while Thakur was asked to go back but the Mumbai skipper failed to trouble the scorers upon his return, dismissed off Nazir when J&K skipper Paras Dogra took an excellent one-handed diving catch to his left.
Mumbai collapsed from 54/0 to 101/7 as J&K appeared to be closing in on a big win, but Thakur and Kotian's rearguard ensured the fight fizzled out for the visiting side.
At Nashik, hosts Maharashtra gained strong control against table-toppers Baroda, extending their lead to 275 runs in the second innings. Maharashtra, who made 297 batting first, bowled out Baroda for a mere 145 to earn a huge lead of 152 runs.
At stumps, Maharashtra reached 123/2 as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad discovered his mojo with the bat to make an unbeaten fifty, scoring 66 not out from 54 balls with nine fours and two sixes. At the other end, Siddhesh Veer was unbeaten on 37.
At Shillong, the visiting side Odisha took complete control of their contest against hosts Meghalaya as they were leading by 325 runs in the first innings when stumps were drawn on Day 2.
After bowling out Meghalaya for 198 on the first day, skipper Govinda Poddar hit 121 off 157 balls with 17 fours, while others Swastik Samal (80), Sandeep Pattanaik (78), Kartik Biswal (68) and Rajesh Dhuper (80 not out) helped push the visitors to a huge 523/7 in first innings.
In another Group A contest in Agartala, visitors Services were in a formidable position of 114 for one in reply to Tripura's first-innings' total of 212, trailing by another 98 runs in the first innings.
Shubham Rohilla led the charge for Tripura with a fine unbeaten 57 off 88 balls with 10 fours.
Brief scores:
At Mumbai: Mumbai 120 & 274/7 in 67 overs (Shardul Thakur 113 not out, Tanush Kotian 58 not out; Auqib Nabi 3/69) lead Jammu and Kashmir 206 (Shubham Khajuria 53, Abid Mushtaq 44; Shardul Thakur 2/39, Mohit Avasthi 5/52, Shams Mulani 2/61) by 188 runs.
At Nashik: Maharashtra 297 in 98.4 overs (Siddhesh Veer 48, Saurabh Nawale 83; Atit Sheth 6/71) & 123/2 in 29 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 66 not out; Lukman Meriwala 2/19) lead Baroda 145 in 33.1 overs (Mitesh Patel 61, Mahesh Pithiya 36; Rajneesh Gurbani 2/31, Mukesh Choudhary 3/57, Ramakrishna Ghosh 2/34) by 275 runs.
At Shillong: Meghalaya 198 trail Odisha 523/7 in 108 overs (Swastik Samal 80, Sandeep Pattanaik 78, Govinda Poddar 121, Kartik Biswal 68, Rajesh Dhuper 80*; MD Nafees 3/78) by 325 runs.
At Agartala: Tripura 212 in 73.1 overs (S Sharath 76; Varun Choudhary 3/39, Pulkit Narang 3/44) lead Services 114/1 in 33 overs (Shubham Rohilla 57*; Arjun Debnath 1/26) by 98 runs.
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