When Aman Khan nailed Shams Mulani for a six over long-off off the last ball before Lunch on Day 3, it felt like a brief preview of his power-hitting prowess. At the time, with Mumbai having torn through the lower order and enforcing the follow-on with a towering 498-run lead, no one could have predicted that the shot was merely a teaser for what awaited in the afternoon.
Walking out to bat at 91/5, Aman had a lot to do to ensure the match went into the fourth day, with Mumbai looking outright favourites to win on Tuesday evening. The lanky batter found himself in a nothing-to-lose situation and made the most of it to entertain a sparse crowd and frustrate the Mumbai bowlers with a sparkling, counter-attacking innings of 86 off 44 balls to help Puducherry end the day on 231/6, still trailing by 267 runs.
The most striking aspect of his knock was his take-down of the spin duo of Mulani and Tanush Kotian. With Shardul Thakur deploying attacking fields for them with a slip, short leg and a leg slip almost always present, it gave him the licence to use the long handle.
What followed was an exhibition of clean six-hitting, where the batter used the arc from long-on to square leg superbly. Aman took a liking for Kotian, who bowled from around the wicket for almost the duration of the day. With several close-in catchers and a lack of turn on the surface, the batter clattered the off-spinner for four sixes on the leg side, forcing Thakur to put his thinking cap on.
Forty-five off his 86 runs on Tuesday came off Kotian, and in a desperate move to dislodge him from the crease, Thakur brought on Musheer Khan for a bowl. The move paid off as the left-arm spinner got through his defences, to end a fantastic knock and halt a stand of 137 runs with the wicketkeeper-batter Siddhant Aadhhathrao.
The right-hander last played a T20 for Mumbai in November 2022, and as if to give his former side a reminder that he still possessed the goods, put on a sizzling show in the hot sun.
The familiarity of having played some of the opposition players also helped the batter in his performance on Tuesday.
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“I have played with everyone in club cricket. Throughout the year, whenever I am free from the domestic season, I come and play club cricket. It’s fun, it’s challenging. I know what their work ethics are and how they prepare for the game. They play like champions. That is what we saw today. It was an amazing challenge for me to play against them,” Aman said after the day’s play.
Aadhhathrao offered good support with a composed knock, and while the pair’s excellent stand had stretched the match into the fourth and final day, Mumbai will still fancy their chance with four wickets to take and a big deficit of 267 runs staring in Puducherry’s face.
Mumbai strike early
After bowling Puducherry out for 132 in their first innings, Mumbai made the no-brainer call to enforce the follow-on. It offered Puducherry a chance to show resilience under the hot sun on a lifeless pitch. But as was the case last week against Himachal Pradesh, Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande nipped out two wickets inside the first five overs to leave them reeling at 3/2.
Amid the debris, Mohit Kale had all to do in the second innings. The right-hander, who has played for Vidarbha in the past, has a strong back foot game despite having a short frame. He put that good use in the second innings, pulling Deshpande and other pacers with ease.
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He put on 66 runs for the third wicket with Neyan Kangayan, who also grew in confidence as his stay at the crease wore on. Kale used the sweep to good effect, especially against Mulani, on a surface that has not yet deteriorated at the pace that Mumbai would have wanted.
The tea break gave them a chance to regroup, and in the second over after the break, Kale fell caught at mid-off by substitute fielder Sairaj Patil off Mulani for 35.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 630/5 decl. vs Puducherry 132 and 231/6 in 45 overs (Aman 86, Aadhhathrao 51 not out; Mulani 2/67) trail by 267 runs.
