Tushar Deshpande and Tanush Kotian, the final batting pair for the Mumbai domestic side, scripted history on the way to a record 232-run partnership in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Baroda on Tuesday, February 27 at the Sharad Pawar Academy, BKC in Mumbai. After combining at 337/9, Deshpande and Kotian made a mockery of the Baroda bowling attack as both smashed their respective centuries. Kotian got to his landmark first with a hundred off 115 balls while Deshpande got his three-figure mark in just 112 balls.
Deshpande and Kotian became only the second pair of No.10 and No.11 batters to smash centuries together in first-class cricket history. The first time it happened in 1946 when Shute Banerjee and Chandu Sarwate as part of the touring Indian team smashed tons against Surrey. This has happened for the first time in Ranji Trophy history.
Deshpande with his score of 123 became only the third Indian batter to score a century after coming into bat at No.11 in first-class cricket. However, Deshpande has now the highest score for a No.11 Indian batter in first class as he surpassed Shute Banerjee’s 121. Deshpande and Kotian stitched a 232-run stand for the 10th wicket, which was one short of the Ranji record of 233-run partnership between Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh.
Deshpande and Kotian helped Mumbai bat Baroda out of the game as they set a massive target of 606 runs for the visitors to chase down on the final day. Mumbai already got a first-innings lead of 36 runs and since then has piled on Baroda’s misery and have all but sealed the final semi-final spot.
Vidarbha in the other quarter-final beat Karnataka by 127 runs to clinch the third semi-final spot after Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu already advanced to the semis after finishing their respective games on Day 4 itself.
