Mumbai got a major boost as Shardul Thakur returned from an injury picking 6 wickets on the first day of the final round match against Assam played at Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy, Mumbai on 16th February 2024.
Mumbai captain Ajiyanka Rahane won the toss and decided to field first. It was an ideal start as Shardul Thakur got the initial breakthrough getting rid of Parvej Musaraf with peach of delivery. He struck again dismissing Sumit Ghadigaonkar to leave Assam in trouble.
He then dismissed Assam captain Denish Das with a simple return catch leaving them in big trouble. It was another great bowling effort by Thakur getting wickets of Kunal Sharma, Sunil Lachit, and Dibakar Johri to bowl out Assam for a paltry total of 84. Thakur proved his worth ending with figures of 6 for 21 in 10.1 overs. Shams Mulani took 2 wickets while Mohit Avasthi and Tushar Deshpande grabbed 1 wicket each.
Thakur is coming back from an injury. He was dropped after a disappointing outing against South Africa in the first test match against South Africa at Centurion. After that, he did not feature at Cape Town as Mukesh Kumar and Prasidh Krishna were included in the playing XI.
Mumbai is in a dominating position
In reply to 84 runs, Mumbai ended the first day in a strong position. Shivam Dube proved his worth smashing Assam bowlers to all over the ground with a superb century and helped Mumbai end the first day at 217 for 6 with a lead of 133 runs.
Mumbai would look to end the group stage on a high and enter the quarterfinals stage with lots of confidence. Shardul Thakur bowled with great control against Assam on conditions that helped the pace bowlers make life tough.
Thakur used the conditions brilliantly and skittled out Assam cheaply in the first session itself. Prithvi Shaw made a quick-fire knock of 30 laying a strong foundation for a decent total. Thakur would be hoping for a great contribution with the bat also and help Mumbai register innings victory.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.