NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma played a stunning innings of 155 runs as Mumbai began their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign with a comfortable win over Sikkim at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, where Mumbai chased down the target with ease and won by eight wickets.Sikkim won the toss and chose to bat first. They put up a fighting total of 236 for 7 in their 50 overs.
Ashish Thapa was the top scorer for Sikkim. The wicketkeeper-batter played a steady knock of 79 runs from 87 balls and held the innings together. K Sai Satwik and Kranthi Kumar also contributed with 34 runs each, while Robin Limbo remained not out on 31. Mumbai’s bowlers kept things under control, with Shardul Thakur leading the attack by taking two wickets and conceding very few runs. Musheer Khan and Shams Mulani also chipped in with one wicket each.While Sikkim’s total looked competitive, it was never going to be enough once Rohit Sharma got going.Mumbai’s chase started calmly, with Angkrish Raghuvanshi playing a patient knock of 38 with a strike rate of 65.52. From the other end, Rohit Sharma slowly settled in and then completely took charge of the match. The senior batsman was in complete control and punished anything loose.Rohit smashed 155 runs from just 94 balls as his innings included 18 fours and nine sixes. Scoring at a rapid strike rate, he made the chase look effortless. Completing his 100 in 62 balls, Rohit garnered the fastest-ever century of his List A career.The Sikkim bowlers had no answers once Rohit found his rhythm. Musheer remained not out on 27 and played his role well.On the other end, Sarfaraz Khan finished the match with a quick cameo of eight runs. Mumbai reached the target in just 30.3 overs and won the match by eight wickets.With both bat and ball clicking, Mumbai have started their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign in perfect fashion. Going into the next matches, they will be confident.
