Mumbai’s Parsad Pawar performs a shot, through the Vijay Hazare Trophy match towards Saurashtra, on the Alur KSCA cricket stadium, in Bengaluru on December 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Okay. MURALI KUMAR
Defending champion Saurashtra is all however out of the 2023-24 Vijay Hazare Trophy after a five-wicket loss to Mumbai on the Alur Cricket Stadium right here on Friday.
Yet one other below-par effort with the willow meant that Jaydev Unadkat’s males may solely muster 144 runs after being requested to bat.
In reply, Mumbai wobbled a bit, diminished because it was to 76 for 5. But a 74-run unbroken sixth-wicket stand between Prasad Pawar (43 n.o., 63b, 4×4, 1×6) and Shardul Thakur (39 n.o., 44b, 2×4, 2×6) carried the aspect to its fifth straight win and handed Saurashtra its third defeat in 5 matches.
Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur performs a shot through the Vijay Hazare Trophy match towards Saurashtra, on the Alur KSCA cricket stadium, in Bengaluru on December 1, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
Okay. MURALI KUMAR
Shardul and Pawar had been watchful initially, a lot in order that there was a part the place they didn’t rating a boundary for 11 overs. But as soon as the entire crossed 100, the duo let unfastened. Shardul pulled Unadkat for a 4 after which smashed Ankur Panwar for 2 maximums. Pawar introduced proceedings to a detailed with a six over long-on off Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.
Shardul’s was, the truth is, an all-round effort. Added to the Mumbai squad forward of the sport after a brief interval of relaxation to get better from the World Cup exertion, the pacer scalped two wickets (2/37) within the morning.
If not for Cheteshwar Pujara’s dogged batting (55 n.o., 114b, 5×4, 1×6), Mumbai would have wrapped up the win a lot earlier. In the absence of Sheldon Jackson — who, in a uncommon transfer, was dropped after totalling simply 11 runs from 4 innings — Pujara held Saurashtra aloft.
BENGALURU KARNATAKA 01/12/2023 : Saurashtra’s Cheteshwar Pujara performs a shot through the Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Mumbai vs Saurashtra, at Alur KSCA cricket stadium, in Bengaluru on December 01, 2023. Photo MURALI KUMAR Okay / The Hindu
| Photo Credit:
MURALI KUMAR Okay
The 35-year-old was reprieved twice — dropped by ‘keeper Pawar off speedster Mohit Avasthi when on 10 and adjudged leg-before to Shardul when on 41 only for it to be a no-ball. He capitalised by bringing up his half-century with a pulled six and a heaved four. That he received no support from his teammates proved Saurashtra’s undoing.
