Cricket / Shardul Thakur smashes 92 runs off 57 balls batting at no. 7, slams 6 sixes

Cricket Desk: Domestic giants Mumbai trounced Himachal Pradesh by 200 runs in their final Elite Group D game here on Monday to remain unbeaten in the league stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Mumbai had won their first four matches against Delhi, Maharashtra, Puducherry and Rajasthan.

Opting to bat at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Mumbai posted an imposing 321/9, courtesy Shardul Thakur's 92, Suryakumar Yadav's 91 and Aditya Tare's 83 after a top-order failure.

Himachal were then bundled out for a meagre 121, with leg-spinner Prashant Solanki (4/31) shining with the ball.

Mumbai were teetering at 8/3 after losing openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (2), Prithvi Shaw (2) and Shreyas Iyer (2) cheaply.

While Jaiswal was caught by Praveen Thakur off Rishi Dhawan (4/84), Shaw holed out to Mayank Dagar off Vaibhav Arora. Dhawan trapped Iyer in front of wicket as Mumbai got off to a horrendous start.

It soon became 49/4, after Sarfaraz Khan (11) failed to convert his start. Then began the rescue act with the prolific Suryakumar, who toyed with the Himachal attack, striking 15 boundaries on his way to a 75-ball 91.

He found an able ally in the experienced Tare (83 off 98 balls; 6x4; 1x6) who played the perfect second fiddle as the duo forged a 99-run fifth-wicket stand to rally the innings.

After Suryakumar fell in the 31st over, Tare and Shardul added 112 runs for the sixth wicket, as they tackled the Himachal attack with ease.

Shardul, one of the heroes of the Brisbane Test against Australia, hammered six boundaries and as many sixes, as he cantered to 92 in just 57 balls.

Thanks to Shardul's hitting, Mumbai crossed the 300-run mark, but Tare's patient knock was equally important as he anchored the innings and supported the aggressors.

Chasing 322, Himachal were reeling at 4/3 after losing openers Ravi Thakur (3), Prashant Chopra (1) and Nikhil Gangta (0) cheaply, as pacers Dhawal Kulkarni (2/8) and Mohit Awasthi (1/19) wreaked havoc.

While Thakur edged to wicket-keeper Tare off Kulkarni, Chopra was cleaned up by Awasthi and Gangta holed out to Sarfaraz to give Kulkarni his second.

Ekant Sen, who made a run-a-ball 21, was dismissed by spinner Shams Mulani (3/42) in the ninth over, as the team slipped to 40/4.