Shardul Thakur's attacking 92 rescues Mumbai in Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Himachal Pradesh

Shardul Thakur smashed 92 runs off just 57 balls as Mumbai recovered from a precarious situation to post 321/9 in their Vijay Hazare Trophy clash against Himachal Pradesh.

Coming in to bat with his side in serious trouble at 148/5 after 30.4 overs, Shardul counterattacked from the word go. He shared a 112-run partnership with Aditya Tare (83 off 98 balls) to lead Mumbai's fightback.

Shardul, whose brilliant knock contained six fours and six sixes, missed out on what would have been a well-deserved maiden first-class century when he was dismissed in the 48th over.

Well played, Shardul Thakur - 92 runs from just 57 balls including 6 fours and 6 sixes - Mumbai was 148 for 5 when Thakur came to bat and helped them to cross 300 runs - Brilliant knock from Thakur against Himachal Pradesh in Vijay Hazare Trophy. pic.twitter.com/0gEw1hmfY2
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 1, 2021

The recovery led by Shardul Thakur and Tare was Mumbai's second rescue act of the innings. The Shreyas Iyer-led side were 8/3 at one stage before Suryakumar Yadav's equally brilliant 91-run knock provided much-needed stability.

Shardul has gained cult status after his recent exploits in Australia and as expected, social media went crazy about his amazing innings. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

Shardul Thakur in This Year 2021:-

Vs Australia at Gabba
•67(115) & 94/3.
•2(39 & 61/4.

In Vijay Hazare Trophy
•6*(4) & 31/2 vs Pondicherry.
•16(21) & 50/4 vs Rajasthan.
•92(57) vs Himachal Pradesh.

He Contributed with the bat and ball both. Brilliant.
— CricketMAN2 (@man4_cricket) March 1, 2021

9️⃣2️⃣ off 5️⃣7️⃣

Shardul Thakur's maiden List A fifty is a stunning knock for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare Trophy game against Himachal 🤯

A candidate for one of the all-rounder spots in the Chennai Super Kings setup? #VijayHazareTrophy2021 pic.twitter.com/UDfN3LMGLK
— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) March 1, 2021

Sachin scored 98(75) v Pak on this day 18 years ago !!

Surya scored 91 (75) and Shardul 92(57) today !!

There is no coincidence or nothing significant here 😂 , just 90’s and the balls faced (75,75,57) #Mumbai #Sachin #VijayHazareTrophy #ShardulThakur
— Karthik Rao (@Cric_Karthikk) March 1, 2021

Shardul Thakur 92(57) s.r. 161.40
It's been a while since I've been this confident about chennai's squad. All they need to do is pick the perfect XI and playoffs berth is confirmed.
— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) March 1, 2021

Shardul Thakur's improved batting has also made Chennai Super Kings fans sit up and take notice, with many excited about his prospects in the upcoming IPL.

Shardul Thakur's recent heroics with the bat in Australia

Shardul Thakur during his 67-run knock in Brisbane (Image courtesy NDTV)

The 29-year-old had become a hit on social media thanks to his scintillating performance in the fourth Test of India's victorious tour of Australia.

With India struggling at 186/6 in their first innings at Brisbane, Shardul scored a counterattacking 67 and was involved in a crucial 123-run partnership with Washington Sundar.

The duo's efforts helped the visitors keep Australia's lead to just 33 runs and was a major factor in India's march to victory.

Shardul Thakur also shone with the ball in the same match, scalping 3/94 and 4/61 to help dismiss Australia in both innings.