NEW DELHI: India seamer Shardul Thakur took a hat-trick for Mumbai against Meghalaya in a crucial Ranji Trophy encounter at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai on Thursday.
As Mumbai bowled first against Meghalaya, Thakur opened the bowling and removed Anirudh B, Sumit Kumar, and Jaskirat in the third over before dismissing Nishant Chakraborty on the fourth ball of the innings.
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In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, he became the second bowler to take a hat-trick, following Rishi Dhawan of Himachal Pradesh against Pondicherry.
The 33-year-old also became the fifth Mumbai bowler in Ranji Trophy history to seal a hat-trick.
The other four bowlers are Royston Harold Dias (Mumbai) against Bihar in the 2023-2024 season, Abdul Moosabhoy Ismail (Bombay) against Saurashtra in 1973-74, Umesh Narayan Kulkarni (Bombay) against Gujarat in 1963-64, and Jehangir Behramji Khot (Bombay) against Baroda in 1943-44.
Thakur has taken 20 wickets and amassed 297 runs in seven games so far this season, including two fifties and a century.
Meghalaya, who were 2/6 at one stage, were reduced to 29/6 in 12 overs thanks to Thakur’s 4-14 and two wickets from Mohit Avasthi.
Mumbai, currently ranked third in Group A, needs to win the current game by an innings or ten wickets in order to earn the extra point. With Baroda in second place with 27 points, that will tie them with J&K at 29 points.
Mumbai would be hopeful that neither J&K nor Baroda wins more than one point in their match in the Vadodara final round.