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Defending champions Mumbai suffered a surprising five-wicket defeat at home against Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) in their latest Ranji Trophy encounter on Saturday. This marked J-K's second victory over Mumbai, the previous one dating back to the 2014-15 season. Despite fielding a star-studded lineup featuring six capped Indian players, Mumbai failed to deliver, with the exception of an inspired performance by Shardul Thakur.
Shardul, who has been out of the Indian Test team for nearly a year, emerged as Mumbai's saviour with a remarkable unbeaten 113 while batting down the order. Alongside Tanush Kotian, who scored an impressive 58*, Thakur added 173 runs for the eighth wicket, helping Mumbai recover from a precarious position and secure a 188-run lead. However, their efforts were in vain as J&K chased down the target of 205 to secure a memorable win. Mumbai's seasoned batters, including Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and Ajinkya Rahane, struggled to make an impact. Rohit, returning to the domestic circuit, managed a brisk 28 off 35 balls in the second innings, featuring two fours and three sixes. However, his dismissal ended any hopes of a revival. This was his highest first-class score since his knock of 52 against New Zealand in Bengaluru last October. Meanwhile, young Yashasvi Jaiswal had a disappointing outing, scoring just 4 and 26 in his two innings. In the other game, Indian Test opener Shubman Gill scored a valiant century for Punjab against Karnataka but could not prevent his side from suffering a crushing defeat. Punjab were bowled out for a paltry 55 in their first innings. Karnataka, who amassed a mammoth 420-runs in their first innings bowled Punjab out for 213 runs in their second innings. Despite Gill's fighting century, Punjab lost by an innings and 207 runs. These results have highlighted the competitiveness of this season's Ranji Trophy, with several high-profile players struggling to find form while teams like Jammu & Kashmir continue to make headlines with stunning performances. (ANI)
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