Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], February 8 (ANI): Karun Nair continued to knock on the selector’s doors after blazing his second century for Vidarbha in the second quarter-final of the ongoing Ranji Trophy on Saturday.
On the opening day of the final eight clash between Vidarbha and Tamil Nadu, the hosts were tottering at 44/4. Vidarbha needed a meaningful partnership and someone to play the anchor’s role for the next 73. 5 overs left in the day.
With his scorching form, Nair arrived at the crease with a clear intent of helping his side see off the difficult phase. He had to bid his time, respect the menacing ones and punish those deliveries that landed in his hitting arc.
A combination of experience and young talent helped Vidarbha sail to a comfortable position. With Danish Malewar at the other end, runs kept coming at a steady pace and the duo went from strength to strength.
Danish and Nair added 98 runs for the fourth wicket before the 21-year-old miscued Vijay Shankar at 75(119). After Danish’s swift knock ended it was Nair all day long.
Nair dealt with spinners by sweeping them away with confidence and aggression. He came down the track to smoke the ball past the boundary line for a six off Sai Kishore.
He combined with captain Akshay Wadkar to add 64 runs for the sixth wicket and waited patiently to hit the three-digit figure. Nair stayed unbeaten with a knock of 100(180), lifting Vidarbha to 264/6 at the end of the day.
Defending champions Mumbai were saved by a massive 165-run partnership between Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani. For the first 30 overs, Mumbai were forced to watch a horror show. On a hazy morning and seaming conditions, Mumbai’s star-studded batters crumbled in front of inexperienced Haryana pacers.
Ayush Mhatre was the first to fall for a golden duck. Akash (10), Siddhesh Lad (4) and Suryakumar Yadav (9) were out on the crease and back in the dressing room within the blink of an eye.
Mumbai were dwindling at 25/4 and needed a partnership to take them past the early phase. Captain Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube offered a moment of reprieve with their short yet effective 40-run stand.
They stemmed the collapse but the duo eventually edged it away off the Haryana quicks. Mumbai were reeling at 113/7 after group-stage hero Shardul Thakur’s dismissal.
In a dire situation, Mumbai’s lower order came to the rescue with Kotian and Mulani patiently dealing with the pacers. They trode with caution to stitch up a 165-run stand. The partnership came to an end when Mulani returned the ball to Jayant Yadav.
Kotian, who scored his 15th half-century, stayed unbeaten at 85(154), as Mumbai closed the day with a score of 278/8. (ANI)
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