From 337/9 to 569, FIRST TIME in 78 years: No.11 Tushar Deshpande & No.10 Kotian do the IMPOSSIBLE

 In the ongoing Ranji Trophy quarter-final match, Mumbai declared their second innings at 348, setting Baroda a daunting target of 606 ‌runs. Mumbai's second innings was powered by Tanush Kotian's noteworthy 120 and Tushar Deshpande's resilient 123. Baroda's spin bowler Bhargav Bhatt displayed a phenomenal performance, claiming 7 wickets for 200 runs, posing a significant challenge for the opposition. With an action-packed quarter-final looming, the match promises an exhilarating conclusion as both teams strive to seize victory.  

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 Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande created history in the Ranji Trophy match against Baroda

In the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Baroda, Mumbai all-rounders Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande created headlines when they became just the second duo in First-Class cricket history to make a century in the same innings. Coming together for the last wicket with Mumbai at 337 for nine overnight, Kotian and Deshpande showed incredible tenacity, building a key combination that not only secured a 36-run first-innings advantage but also essentially pushed Baroda down. Kotian scored his century first, taking 115 balls and hitting nine fours and three sixes. Deshpande quickly followed suit, batting 112 deliveries and hitting eight fours and six maximums to achieve their first First-Class centuries. The astounding accomplishment of both the No. 10 and No. 11 batsmen hitting hundreds in the same innings is a watershed moment in First-Class cricket, breaking a 78-year drought.

This performance placed them in exceptional company, alongside Chandu Sarwate and Shute Banerjee, who completed a same feat in a Surrey-Indians match at the Oval in 1946.

Kotian and Deshpande's partnership is also only the third time an Indian duo has scored 200 or more runs for the last wicket. Deshpande's performance cemented his place in cricket history, as he became only the third Indian batsman to make a First-Class century while batting at No. 11, surpassing Banerjee's 121 to become the highest FC total by an Indian in that position. Deshpande's innings ended with 123 runs, bringing the partnership to 232, one run shy of the Ranji Trophy record.

Ajay Sharma and Maninder Singh have the Ranji Trophy record, while Sarwate and Banerjee hold the overall Indian record with their 249-run partnership. Sharma and Singh scored 233 runs against Bombay in the 1991-92 Ranji semifinal at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. Despite Sharma's undefeated 259 runs, Delhi won because of their first-innings advantage in that historic match.