Royston and Shardul take Mumbai to a thumping win

Shardul Thakur's probing spell helps Mumbai reach Ranji Trophy semifinal with accurate bowling and support from teammates.

Shardul Thakur has a natural outswinger for a right-handed batter, which keeps the slip cordon interested. But it is the one that nips back in or holds the line that becomes a dangerous delivery. Shardul was at his accurate best here at the Eden Gardens, and his probing spell on Tuesday helped Mumbai enter the Ranji Trophy semifinal after defeating Haryana by 152 runs.

The medium-pacer finished the quarterfinal with a match-haul of nine for 84 as Mumbai defended the 354-run target, bowling out Haryana for 201.

Shardul’s 10-over opening spell was spread across the pre- and post-lunch sessions, where he trapped Ankit Kumar and Himanshu Rana in front with nip-backers and induced an edge off Rohit Sharma to the first slip.

Support

He found support in left-arm quick Royston Dias, who claimed his maiden First Class five-for. While the duo maintained the fourth-stump line on a good length, a bouncer was a surprise element bowled without any protection in the deep. The bait worked when debutant Yashvardhan Dalal tried to pull Dias and got caught at square leg before cramping Nishant Sindhu down the leg.

At 60 for five, opener Lakshya Dalal and Sumit Kumar showed resilience and stitched a 90-run partnership. However, Lakshya’s needless attempt to ramp Tanush Kotian failed, triggering the final collapse in the last hour. Dias returned to remove Sumit and wrapped up the tail.

The day belonged to the bowlers from the start. Although Rahane reached his 41st First Class hundred, Haryana had more to celebrate.