Happy we could play to the merit of the ball: Deshpande after scripting history with Kotian in Ranji Trophy quarterfinal

The duo of Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande became only the second No. 10 and No. 11 batters to score a hundred in the same First-Class match.

(From L-R): Mumbai’s Tushar Deshpande and Tanush Kotian. | Photo Credit: Amol Karhadkar

Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande have a lot in common. Both are the sons of club cricketers who dreamt their sons would achieve what they couldn’t. Both started off as batters before making a name primarily as bowlers. On Tuesday, the duo combined to rewrite record books on the last day of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Baroda.

Having added 42 wickets for the last wicket on the fourth evening, Kotian and Deshpande resumed their association to add a whopping 190 runs more off 30 overs at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy. As a result, the duo became only the second No. 10 and No. 11 batters to score a hundred in the same First-Class match.

On the cusp of overhauling Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh’s 233-run partnership for Delhi against Mumbai in the 1991-92 semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium – the highest stand for the last wicket in Ranji Trophy – Deshpande was dismissed.

“We did get a message an over or two earlier, but these are all materialistic things. We are very happy that we could play according to the merit of the ball and take the game completely away from the opposition,” said an elated Deshpande. He blew a kiss for his wife Nabha, who was watching the proceedings from the clubhouse, after completing his hundred.

For Kotian, more than the missed record, crossing the 90s barrier for the third time after succumbing to 93 and 98 in each of the last two seasons meant a lot.

“I had 10 fifties before the game and for me, it was a crucial innings because of the timing. I was telling myself  ke karna hai yeh ab (that you have to do it now). I was talking to Tushar and planning on which bowler we can go after,” he said.

Having started as a batter in Kalyan, almost 70 km from south Mumbai, Deshpande was an accidental fast bowler.

When he was 12, he travelled to Shivaji Park for a summer camp trial, and watching only eight-ten players in the bowlers’ queue, switched over from the batters’ queue that was at least six times longer.

Kotian, meanwhile, is the son of a tennis-ball cricket legend in Vikhroli, a central suburb, and has emerged as a key all-rounder for Mumbai.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande became the first pair of No. 10 and No. 11 to score a hundred in the same innings in the Ranji Trophy.

The duo recorded only the second such instance in First-Class cricket after Chandu Sarwate and Shute Banerjee did it for India against Surrey in 1946-47.

Tushar Deshpande’s 123 is the highest individual score for a No. 11 batter in Ranji Trophy history, eclipsing Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan’s 115 for Tamil Nadu vs Delhi in 2000-01.

Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande’s partnership of 232 was the second-highest for the last wicket in Ranji Trophy history, one run shot of Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh’s 233 for Delhi vs Mumbai in 1991-92.