Top News

NEW DELHI: Skipper Shardul Thakur ticked every box on the day, from calling right at the toss to ripping through the Chhattisgarh top order with a match-winning four-wicket burst, as Mumbai cruised to a nine-wicket win to complete a group-stage hat-trick in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on Monday.

At the Jaipuria Vidyalaya ground, Shardul won the toss and made full use of the early morning movement to dent Chhattisgarh early, reducing them to 10 for 4 inside the first five overs.

Chhattisgarh never truly recovered from that early damage and were eventually bowled out for 142 in 38.1 overs.

While Shardul set the tone in the opening half hour, it was left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (5/31) who dismantled the middle and lower order with sharp, stump-to-stump bowling. The last six wickets fell for just 27 runs.

The chase turned out to be straightforward as Angkrish Raghuvanshi (68 not out off 66 balls) and veteran Siddhesh Lad (48 not out off 42 balls) stitched together an unbroken 102-run stand for the second wicket, wrapping up the game inside 24 overs.

Mumbai, with 12 points, strengthened their grip at the top of group C.

The spotlight, however, belonged to skipper Shardul (4/13 in 5 overs). He struck with just his second delivery, having right-handed opener Ayush Tiwary edge one to Sarfaraz Khan at slip.

Off the final ball of the opening over, one-drop Mayank Verma (3) was clean bowled. In his next two overs, Sarfaraz was again in the thick of things, pouching two straightforward catches in the slips off deliveries that moved away.

Skipper Amandeep Khare (63) and all-rounder Ajay Mandal (46) did offer some resistance with a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

But once Mandal was dismissed by Mulani, the rest of the wickets fell quickly.

In the chase, Raghuvanshi, the young KKR star, who batted with a bandaged patch on the side of his neck, looked fluent throughout, striking six fours and two sixes while receiving solid support and guidance from the experienced Lad, who also appeared in good rhythm.

“All thanks to our physio Mr Suresh who helped me a lot, had a bad fall but I feel much better now,” Raghuvanshi told reporters after the game, referring to his hospitalization following an on-field injury in the previous match against Uttarakhand.

Speaking about the contest, he felt that while his skipper made most of the early assistance, the pitch later turned into a “batting paradise”.

The youngster, a protégé of KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar, also reflected on his experience of spending time at the crease with stalwart Rohit Sharma.

“Out of 141 run stand (earlier game), I got 40. Just taking singles and giving him (Rohit) strike and watching him from other end, it felt like a movie,” Raghuvanshi’s broad grin said it all.

On the personal front, he revealed that he is working on adding wicketkeeping to his skill set, in line with the growing demand for multi-dimensional players.

“I am really enjoying keeping. It is challenging but it makes you feel thag you are always in the game,” the U19 World Cup winner said.

So, could this be a hint at KKR’s new wicketkeeper for the 2026 season?

“That you will find out in due time,” he smiled while signing off.

(With PTI Inputs)