With Hardik Tamore struggling to cement his place as Mumbai’s permanent wicketkeeper-batter, Mumbai has been trying out various options in the slot over the last three seasons.
For the time being, though, they will have to stop its search, with Akash Anand having enjoyed an exemplary outing in both departments during the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha.
If his five catches behind the wickets was just the start he required, having been forced to open the innings due to team combination, Akash responded with a fine hundred – his second in four games so far – to keep Mumbai in the hunt of Vidarbha’s first innings total of 383.
The most prolific feature of Akash’s 106 (256b, 375m, 11×4) was his nonchalance and ability to play time, a craft that’s getting rare in Indian cricket.
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“It was a very important knock. (I) hadn’t scored too many runs in the last game, so that was extra motivation. With Vidarbha having put on a decent total on the board, the situation demanded me to occupy the crease as long as I could,” Akash said.
“I just played to the situation. They were bowling tight, so I had to respect the bowlers and the situation. It wasn’t about curbing my instincts.”
Despite coming through the ranks of Shivaji Park Gymkhana and Don Bosco school and being Shreyas Iyer’s batchmate at both the institutions, the 29-year-old had to keep grinding on maidans of Mumbai after representing Mumbai in age-group levels.
His consistency while representing the Cricket Club of India was rewarded with a maiden Ranji call-up this season.
