MUMBAI: Mumbai all-rounders Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande on Tuesday stitched the second-highest tenth-wicket partnership in the Ranji Trophy history during the quarter-final match against Baroda at the BKC Ground.
Kotian and Deshpande combined to accumulate 232 runs for the 10th wicket, falling just short by one run of the 233-run record set by Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh for Delhi against Mumbai during the 1991-92 season.
Teaming up for the last wicket in Mumbai’s second innings at 337/9 overnight score, Kotian reached his century in 115 deliveries by scoring a single, whereas Deshpande also reached the milestone with a remarkable century off 112 balls, marking him as Mumbai’s first number 11 centurion.
Additionally, this duo became only the second pair to achieve First-Class centuries batting at No 10 and No 11 in the same innings. Chandu Sarwate and Shute Banerjee, were the first pair to achieve the feat in 1946 during Surrey v Indians match at the Oval. Deshpande’s innings came to an end for a well-made 123 off Ninad Rathva as Mumbai posted a mammoth 569 runs on board, setting a daunting target of 606 runs for Baroda.