It's yet to sink in: Mazgaon Dock openers

A DAY after Mayur Gharat and Santosh Pawaskar put on a mammoth 360-run opening stand for Mazgaon Dock, the feeling was yet to sink in for the duo. "It is still unbelievable that we scored so many runs. The aim was to score as many runs as possible, but we never thought we'd score so many," said Pawaskar referring to Sunday's runathon at Azad Maidan.

Dashing duo: Mayur Gharat (left) and Santosh Pawaskar of Mazgaon Dock pose at Azad Maidan yesterday. Pic/ Suresh KK

Gharat plundered 17 fours and a couple of sixes en route to his 189, while Pawaskar smashed 151, which included 12 fours and two sixes to help Mazgaon Dock score 614 for five, which included 120 penalty runs after the opposition fell eight overs short of the required rate. In reply, Dacsher (Air Freight) were bowled out for 42. Mazgaon Dock won the match by 572 runs to progress to the third round of the 45-over Sheth Narottamdas Morarji Shipping Shield.

Mazgaon Dock will now play against JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) on Sunday.

Gharat's courage
Gharat's efforts need special mention. Sunday's match was only his third after falling from nearly 20 feet while carrying out a fitting work on a ship. "I hurt my lower back and the doctor advised complete bed rest for two months. My family was a bit worried when I again started playing cricket after the incident. But I couldn't stay away from the game for too long," said Gharat.

However, Gharat was disappointed on missing out on a double century. "I was playing really well. I wasn't aware that I was just 11 short of the double century. I would have played a bit cautiously otherwise. It is not everyday you come close to a double ton," he said.

Leave aside applause, Gharat got a scolding from his skipper Umesh Rane after the dismissal. "There was no need to play a lofted shot. He hardly played a false stroke during the innings. I scolded him for getting out to a bad shot," said Rane.

Rane said the massive win was very important for the team's confidence. "Our team wasn't doing well for the last few years. It was necessary to show some improvement as our employers have shown tremendous faith in us. This win has lifted our confidence and hopefully, we go on to win the title," said Rane.