E-Paper
Sign in
Ranji Trophy: Musheer meshes tactics, technique to bail Mumbai out
Musheer Khan scored a hundred in the Ranji Trophy, showcasing his red-ball prowess after a tough IPL stint, despite personal loss and injury setbacks.
Mumbai: In the last IPL, Musheer Khan endured an awkward moment. Trusted by Punjab Kings head coach Ricky Ponting to prevent a batting free fall in the qualifier against RCB, the rookie, as Impact Player, only managed an uncomfortable three-ball stay.
But anyone who has watched the younger of the Khan siblings – Sarfaraz, 28, is eight years older – bat knows red-ball cricket is more his forte. He may look to expand his white-ball game, but playing out balls, playing out sessions, is what Musheer is most adept at.
Musheer brought his long-format batting temperament to the fore on Saturday to score a patient hundred against Himachal Pradesh on Day 1 of the Elite Group D Ranji Trophy tie at the Sharad Pawar academy ground.
In what is a predictable pattern of play at the suburban Mumbai venue, the early session is where pitch had the most juice. The other Mumbai top order batters couldn’t show enough patience after taking first strike. Ayush Mhatre (9) – fresh off an India A stint – Ajinkya Rahane (2) and Sarfaraz (16) lost their battles early to Himachal pacers, who extracted nip off the surface, while Musheer kept scoring.
“It’s my favourite ground. I have scored a lot of runs here, so I knew the wicket would get easier to bat after lunch,” said Musheer, who scored 112 (162b, 14x4) and raised a 157-run fifth wicket partnership with fellow centurion Siddhesh Lad (100 batting).
“Here there are two phases. One is the morning when it does a lot. In the evening as well, with the shadow of the buildings, sighting gets a bit difficult, especially if the bowler gets some assistance. Once you are set, seeing the ball like a football, you see the shade and tell yourself to start again.”
To bat with an understanding of the idiosyncrasies of a ground is something Musheer knows best, having batted at odd-shaped maidans of Mumbai. While sticking to the virtues of not throwing the wicket away, batting long, treating every ball afresh helped bring up his fourth first-class ton, Musheer wasn’t shy of deviating from the conventional when it came to technique. Few openers would advance down the track without an intent to attack, especially when the new ball is doing a bit.
“My game is such that I play a lot of balls. But my mindset is not to let the bowler settle,” he said. “If the bowler gets into rhythm, he becomes better. With the new ball too, I step out, try not to overdo it, but once in an over to disturb his length.”
With Vaibhav Arora’s high pace on show among Himachal’s bowlers, Musheer took a hit on the helmet too, but remained undeterred. After he found a partner in the in-form Lad, the duo stitched the century stand to bail Mumbai out and reach 289/5, after being 73/4.
For Musheer, sidelined by a neck injury for the entire last season, to get his first hundred after the one he scored in the 2023-24 final for Mumbai in a winning cause was emotional. Also, because he batted after coming to know that his maternal uncle, with whom he spent a lot of time while growing up, had passed away in the morning.
