The 18-year-old rescued his team from a precarious position with an unbeaten 203 in Ranji Trophy quarter-final.
India Under-19 star Musheer Khan smashed a sensational double-hundred in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals against Baroda, played at Bandra Kurla Complex Stadium, Mumbai. Musheer Khan is the younger brother of Sarfaraz Khan, who scored two half-centuries in his debut at Rajkot Test recently.
This was Musheer’s maiden hundred-plus score in first-class cricket and he converted it into a double-ton in just his fourth first-class match. Playing for Mumbai, he came in to bat at a crucial No. 3 spot on Day 1. Despite losing his partners at regular intervals, Musheer hung in there to rescue his team from a precarious position.
Despite playing his first Ranji Trophy match of the season, Musheer Khan showed tremendous composure and patience throughout his knock. Although he is a naturally aggressive batter, but he changed his game according to the match situation and showed excellent temperament.
The track was turning and bouncing, leaving Mumbai reeling at 90-4. But Musheer stitched together crucial partnerships with Suryansh Shedge and Hardik Tamore to bring Mumbai’s innings back on track. He finished Day 1 on 128* at stumps.
The 18-year-old continued his innings with the same intensity on Day 2 as well. His 181-run partnership with Hardik Tamore took Mumbai to a comfortable position. Despite Tamore being dismissed, Musheer carried on. He drove left-arm spinner Ninad Rathva to long-off for a single to bring out his maiden double-century in first-class cricket.
Mumbai were bundled out for 384 with Musheer staying unbeaten on 203 off 357 balls. The knock deserves further appreciation as it came in a crunch knock-out game. Despite playing his first Ranji match of the season, Musheer scored more than 50 percent out of his team total of 384.
The India Under-19 star hardly played any rash shot during the game. Although, he played his favourite sweep shot to good effect and put Baroda’s spinners under pressure. The talented youngster will be expected to play a role with his left-arm spin bowling as well.
Musheer was not initially a part of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad as he had gone to play in the Under-19 World Cup. He was selected after Shivam Dube was ruled out of the knockouts due to a side strain. Other big names in Mumbai’s playing XI are Ajinkya Rahane, Prithvi Shaw, and Shardul Thakur.
In the recently concluded Under-19 World Cup, Musheer Khan finished as the second highest run-getter of the tournament, just behind his captain Uday Saharan. Musheer scored 360 runs, averaging 60 and striking at 98.
