Rajasthan vs Mumbai, Ranji Trophy: Shardul Thakur expresses dissatisfaction over Sawai Mansingh pitch

After Mumbai managed a draw against Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy fixture in Jaipur, captain Shardul Thakur expressed his dissatisfaction over the pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, saying it was ‘not up to the standards’.

“I don’t think the pitch was up to the standards. It was too flat. Whatever bit it had was only on the first day and on the first hour of the second day. Honestly speaking, we don’t expect these kinds of pitches when we play domestic cricket. It’s not good for the game as the game doesn’t move anywhere since the wicket is too flat,” Shardul said.

After Mumbai fast bowlers struggled to pick up wickets, the Mumbai skipper said, “I wouldn’t say it’s the worst-ever pitch because for the batters, it was a paradise. But it did not help in producing a result as it was a belter and I want to stress on the point that matches should be held on such surfaces…”

While Shardul bowled 20 overs and went wicketless along with Irfan Umair, Tushar Deshpande was the only successful fast bowler, who could claim a couple of wickets as Rajasthan posted a mammoth 617 for six.

“The contest should be even for batters and bowlers, and whatever is necessary to do that should be taken. I don’t have the technical knowledge in terms of how the pitch should be prepared, but all I can expect is fair pitches where a result is possible,” Shardul said.

Rajasthan’s decision not to go for an outright win drew flak, but Shardul backed the home team, saying: “It was tough on Rajasthan also to try for an outright win as the bowlers would have gotten tired. I can understand the feeling…”

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Despite Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a 150 in the second innings, the away fixture turned out to be a disappointing one for Mumbai as it had to be satisfied with just a point. But Shardul preferred to look at the positives. “We suffered while batting in the first innings. We could have batted a lot better there, but looking at how the game progressed, we were easily able to save the game and we got a point from here. You never know, going forward, this point could be crucial,” he said.

Mumbai will play Himachal Pradesh at the MCA-BKC ground in its next match later in the week.

Published on Nov 04, 2025