Leading by example, Chhattisgarh skipper Amandeep Khare scored a brilliant century (143, 211b, 14x4, 4x6), but his team missed taking a first innings lead against Mumbai by just one run on Day Three against Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur.
On a dramatic Sunday, Khare took Chhattisgarh to 350, but when he was the last man out, trapped lbw by pacer Tushar Deshpande, who took five for 121 in 26.1 overs, the hosts fell short Mumbai's first innings score of 351 by the narrowest of margins. Back from India A duty against England Lions, Deshpande proved his worth, taking his fifth five-wicket haul in his 32nd first-class match. With first innings centurions Prithvi Shaw (29 not out, 29b, 4x4) and Bhupen Lalwani (21 not out, 34b, 3x4) firing away, Mumbai were 51 for no loss in just 11 overs in their second innings.
Khare, meanwhile, scored his 12th century in 47 first-class matches. "He batted superbly, and smashed Shardul Thakur for sixes over mid wicket and over the bowler's head," a person present at the ground said.
The 26-year-old is the first player from Chhattisgarh proper to play for India at any level - he was part of the Rahul Dravid-coached India Under-19 World Cup team in Bangladesh in 2016. Incidentally, this wasn't the first time that Khare hurt Mumbai. In September 2019, he had cracked a superb 117 not out to help the team score a stunning win over Mumbai in a Vijay Hazare Trophy (one-dayers) at Bangalore. It is the only time that Chhattisgarh had beaten Mumbai in any format.
Apart from Deshpande, left-arm fast bowler Royston Dias took 2-44 in 16 overs. Playing his first game since returning from an ankle injury, India pace bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur failed to take a wicket, returning with figures of 0-77 in 19 overs.
