Mumbai discard Hiken Shah is a disappointed man. He is still trying to figure out what went wrong. Why did the Mumbai selectors drop him like a hot potato after just two matches, against Railways and Uttar Pradesh?
On Sunday, the 30-year-old left-hander guided Payyade Sports Club to a 95-run victory over Worli Sports Club with a century (131, 105 balls, 15x4, 1x6) in the Padmakar Talim Shield. However, he wasn't in a celebratory mood. Instead, he questioned himself and his omission from the Ranji side. "I don't know why I was dropped. They said I didn't perform, but I just got two games, that's it," Shah said. "And both matches were played in the toughest of conditions. Against Railways, in New Delhi. The pitch wasn't easy to bat on. But I made a 77-ball 26 in a low-scoring game where we were bowled out for 101. Only fast bowler Javed Khan made more than me, scoring 27 at No. 9," Shah explained.
He went on, "Against Uttar Pradesh, I was the highest scorer among the top six batsman. I made a 57-ball 20. In Green Park (Kanpur), the conditions were seamer-friendly. Yet I batted for 91 minutes. When the wicket eased out, Shreyas Iyer, who came in at No. 7 and Shardul Thakur (No. 9) scored 75 and 87, respectively. I am not taking away any credit from the boys," he added.
The southpaw, who scored 773 runs at an average of 55.21 in 2012-13 season, said he should have been given more opportunities to prove himself. "I believe I can help Mumbai with my batting. (Abhishek) Nayar was given a long rope and he proved his worth with a brilliant 65 against Bengal in the last match. I believe I, too, should be given a few more opportunities. Am I not good to be given some more games or am I being meted out unfair treatment?" he asked.
Brief Scores: Payyade 293/9 in 45 overs (Hiken Shah 131, Bravish Shetty 56; Kunal Gawand 5/62) beat Worli Sports Club 198 all out in 42.2 overs (Sandesh Paralkar 54, Akash Anand 52; Dinesh Salunkhe 3/36) by 95 runs
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