Photo via Wisden

Five wickets in 16 balls: Discarded India quick wreaks havoc with hat-trick in Ranji season opener

Tushar Deshpande delivered a devastating spell during the opening round of the Ranji Trophy, claiming a five-wicket haul that skittled Chandigarh for a mere 78 runs. The fast bowler clinched a hat-trick within sixteen deliveries, removing Arjun Azad, Shivam Bhambri, and Dipender Kush before returning later to dismiss Raj Bawa and Vishu Kashyap.

Mumbai had previously accumulated 429 runs in their opening innings, anchored by an 86-run knock from captain Siddhesh Lad alongside contributions from Musheer Khan, Mohit Avasthi, and Deshpande himself. Despite low scores from Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, Mumbai enforced the follow-up after their dominant bowling display.

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