Before the start of the 2017/18 season, all-rounder Yo Mahesh wasn’t even the part of the Ranji probables squad that was announced by the state association. His performance in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) before the season though had impressed selectors, and when they made few changes for the Mumbai clash, Yo Mahesh was a surprise name to be included in the squad.
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Mahesh was coming back to the team after three years in the wilderness. The all-rounder, on his comeback, scored 103* and picked up two wickets,
“It’s been a great journey for the last four years, not playing because of injury. It feels really nice to be back in the TN set-up and performing well for the team. It was definitely a tough phase for me. I had missed out on four years of a good time of my career. But I would like to take the positives out of it. I learnt a lot. Both in my cricket and in my personal life. It was a long journey, but it taught me a lot,” Mahesh said on the sidelines of Ranji Trophy game between Tamil Nadu and Mumbai.
“It was a big decision because I had to put my savings from my pocket to go for the operation. But obviously cricket is my bread and butter, so I thought I had to give myself a chance to get back to what I like to do the most,” he added.
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His innings came at a time when Tamil Nadu could have fallen short of the first innings lead, but the number 9 batsman stood tall against a strong Mumbai side and helped Tamil Nadu gain the much needed three points.
Mumbai though made a comeback riding on centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar in the second innings but had to be satisfied with a solitary point.
With his century, Yo Mahesh has now fixed his place for upcoming games and skipper Abhinav Mukund might continue to bench Baba Aprajith, who was surprisingly dropped for the previous game.
Tamil Nadu will now face Odisha in their next contest from November 9 to 12. They have a rest week in the first week of November.
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