MUMBAI: A fine century (113, 167b, 10x4, 1x6) by talented youngster Musheer Khan and half-centuries by ‘keeper-batter Prasad Pawar (72, 103b, 6x4, 2x6) and Hardik Tamore (56 not out, 121b, 2x4) helped Mumbai score 328 for five against Delhi on Day One of their Buchi Babu Invitation Cricket Tournament at Salem, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday.
After Angkrish Raghuvanshi (25) was out, Musheer, enjoying an ideal start to the 2023-24 season and also making an early case for him to be considered as an opener in the Ranji Trophy this time, added 161 for the second wicket with ‘keeper-bat Prasad Pawar (72, 103b, 6x4, 2x6).
Apparently, the 18-year-old rushed to Mumbai just a couple of days after his elder brother Sarfaraz Khan’s marriage on August 6 in Srinagar, to join the Mumbai team’s camp for the Buchi Babu Tournament, which was played in 2017, and serves as idea preparation for the Ranji Trophy.
“Musheer had scored heavily in the 2022-23 Under-25 season, and that confidence could be seen in his batting approach. He displayed a lot of maturity and temperament today on a slightly slower track against Delhi's experienced bowling side,” Mumbai head coach Omkar Salvi told TOI from Salem.
Tipped to captain the India Under-19 side in the U-19 World Cup in January next year in Sri Lanka, Musheer, also a handy left-arm spinner, scored 670 runs and took 32 wickets in the 2022-2023 season for the Mumbai Under-19 and U-25 teams, including 339 against Hyderabad in the Col CK Nayudu Trophy (Under-25). He made his first-class debut for Mumbai last year, but was dropped after managing to score just 96 runs in three games, besides taking two wickets.
Mumbai slipped from 215 for two to 254 for five, before an unbeaten 74-run partnership between Pawar and off-spinning all-rounder Tanush Kotian (29 not out) steered their ship.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 328-5 (Musheer Khan 113, Prasad Pawar 72, Hardik Tamore 56) vs Delhi.
