04 January,2017 09:17 AM IST | | Subodh Mayure
Shardul's half century helps defending champs Mumbai take vital 101-run first innings lead after Tare-Nayar's 121-run stand spices up Day Three vs TN
Shardul Thakur, Aditya Tare
Mumbai's Shardul Thakur in full flight during his innings of 52 vs TN during Day Three of the Ranji Trophy semi-final at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot yesterday. Pic/Bipin Tankaria
Rajkot: Though pacer Shardul Thakur is Mumbai's bowling spearhead, he has enhanced his batting reputation with every game. Yesterday, he played a big part in the 41-time Ranji Trophy champions getting the vital first innings lead of 101 on Day Three of their semi-final against Tamil Nadu here.
Thakur was a star of the day like his skipper Aditya Tare (83) and Abhishek Nayar (58) whose 121-run stand for the sixth wicket cut TN deep.
Aditya Tare scored 83
Thakur's 126-ball 52 took his Ranji Trophy season's run tally to 302 which has included three 50-plus scores. A 44-run partnership with Balwinder Sandhu (32) for the eighth wicket was followed by a 14-run stand with Akshay Girap before his 27-run stand with No 11 Vijay Gohil.
Change in grip worked
Thakur's priceless contributions with the willow have not come to fruition overnight. He started working on improving his willow skills in June last year.
Yesterday, he revealed to mid-day that a change in grip has helped score consistently.
"Before heading to the West Indies in June (with the Indian team), I asked my coach Dinesh Lad to analyse my batting. I was not able to score runs despite my ability to play strokes. He pointed to a flaw in my batting grip. I was not holding my bat like I used to do earlier and urged me to revert to the earlier grip, which I used in my under-19 days. I started practising with my original grip and the results are evident this season," Thakur told mid-day after the day's play.
Sensible Shardul
Thakur played sensibly yesterday, but did not miss out in scoring opportunities off the Tamil Nadu bowlers.
His five boundaries and one hit over the fence during his 126-ball innings attracted huge appreciation from the dressing room. Lad, whose son Siddhesh is also part of the Mumbai playing XI, was thrilled to see Shardul in full flight.
"I have always believed in Shardul's ability with the bat. His bottom hand was restricting him from playing strokes. I also suggested to use the top hand more," said Lad over the phone from Mumbai.
