Shardul Thakur shone in the Ranji Trophy with an amazing six-wicket haul during the quarterfinal match against Haryana. The fast-bowling all-rounder, who has been out of the Indian cricket team, is showing he deserves to return for the upcoming test series. The 33-year-old star has been performing well with both bat and ball for Mumbai in recent Ranji Trophy matches, catching the eye of the BCCI selectors and coaches due to his important contributions.
In the quarterfinal, Shardul’s impressive bowling helped Mumbai take control of the game. He claimed the first wicket by getting Haryana opener Lakshhya Dalal out for 34 runs. Later, he took down the last five batters for Haryana, completely changing the game’s momentum. Shardul bowled with great accuracy, which troubled the Haryana batsmen and led to several leg-before-wicket dismissals.
Mumbai managed to dismiss Haryana for 301 runs, after scoring 315 in their first innings. Fans on social media praised Thakur’s performance and suggested he should be picked for the upcoming tour to England in the summer. After a tough season in limited-overs cricket, where his economy rate was high, Thakur found his form again in the Ranji Trophy.
He explained that the conditions were challenging during the T20 and one-day tournaments. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he took 10 wickets in seven matches, and in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was one of the top wicket-takers, finishing with 15 wickets in nine matches, but his economy was high.
Since the Ranji Trophy resumed, he has been outstanding, taking eight wickets in his last game against Meghalaya, including a first-innings hat-trick. His fantastic bowling helped Mumbai win by an innings and 456 runs, putting them at the top of their group.
Shardul Thakur received the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his four-wicket performances in both innings and for scoring 84 runs in the first innings. He showcased his hitting ability with a remarkable 84 runs off just 42 balls.
With his six-wicket haul against Haryana, Shardul has now taken a total of 30 wickets this season, with an average of 23.95 and best bowling figures of 6 for 58. In nine innings with the bat, he has scored 396 runs at over 40 runs per innings, including one century and three fifties.
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