Akash delighted to make it count

Akash Anand had done half the job on Monday, finishing unbeaten on 58. A day later, he completed the task, converting his start into his first century of the season (117 n.o.) as Mumbai tightened its grip on Himachal Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy.

“Being not out was job half done yesterday, and I wanted to make it count because once you get set on these wickets, you have to make it big. So glad it happened today,” Akash told The Hindu on Tuesday.

Mumbai’s challenge was to sustain the momentum despite losing wickets. Tushar Deshpande’s counterattacking cameo (26, 20b, 5x4) helped keep the innings moving.

“We just wanted to make sure that the momentum didn’t suddenly die down. When you get into a good flow at a certain point, you want to continue it. Luckily, we found that flow early and just carried it forward, despite losing wickets,” Akash said.

“Even after losing two wickets, I think Tushar came in and hit some big shots all around the ground. That automatically keeps the momentum going. Wickets fell, but the momentum didn’t go away.”

Sarfaraz Khan had set the platform with a commanding 154. “Sarfaraz has a lot of experience. Even if he has five bad innings, we have that belief that he is going to come hard,” captain Siddhesh Lad said. “Whenever he gets set, he scores big. That is his best quality, and he is showing once again what he is capable of”’.