Ranji Trophy 2025-26: Hooda falls two short of 250, Jaiswal-Musheer partnership gives Mumbai good start on Day 3
Deepak Hooda fell two runs short of what would have been his second 250-plus score in First-Class cricket, but ensured that Rajasthan gained a massive 363-run lead against Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy Group D fixture.
Taking up from where he left off the previous day, Hooda played a flawless innings as the Sawai Mansingh Stadium surface eased out and guided Rajasthan to 617 for 6, before Mumbai rode Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan’s unbroken opening stand to end the day at 89 for the loss of no wicket.
As the sun shone bright and the Mumbai bowlers struggled to find breakthroughs, Hooda (248, 335b, 22×4, 2×6) anchored the innings, while the young Kartik Sharma hit a flurry of boundaries en route to his second First-Class century (139, 192b, 13×3, 3×6). They looked determined and added 265 runs for the fifth wicket, even as Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur shuffled his bowlers.
After every couple of deliveries, the seasoned Hooda walked up to Kartik to ensure that the youngster wasn’t distracted as he reached the nineties. And that strategy worked as Kartik kept his cool and eventually brought up his century.
Kartik looked to extend his tally before being caught at long-off by Musheer off a Shams Mulani delivery. However, an unperturbed Hooda ensured that there weren’t further slip-ups as he rebuilt with Kookna Ajay Singh and eventually brought up his double century.
While he hammered a few big hits, Hooda looked at ease as the runs flowed. However, just when his teammates were gearing up to celebrate his 250, Yashasvi Jaiswal broke the momentum as Hooda was caught behind by Akash Anand. However, Hooda was unhappy with the decision.
Coming into bat in the final session, Mumbai escaped unscathed as Jaiswal and Musheer ensured there were no early blows. While Jaiswal maintained a strike rate of 100 and scored yet another fifty, a cautious Musheer played every ball by its merit.
Published on Nov 03, 2025
