Abhishek Nayar would have loved to have his close friend and Mumbai team mate Rohit Sharma around when he walked back to the pavilion after scoring an unbeaten ton at the end of Day One of the Ranji Trophy semi-final against Delhi here. Ironically,if Sharma had been at the Brabourne Stadium and not touring Bangladesh with the Indian team,Nayar wouldnt have been in the playing XI in the first place. Grabbing the chance that the absence of Sharma provided him with both hands,Nayar scored 111 to help Mumbai score 329 It could well turn out to be a match defining knock since Mumbai had lost three vital wickets Wasim Jaffer,Ajinkya Rahane and Sahil Kukreja at the score of 83 in the first session itself. After his knock,Nayar said that the brief talk he had with Rohit before the game helped him. He (Rohit) is a good friend of mine. I went to the hotel where he was with the Indian team and we spoke for a while. He gave me a very simple advice,and that was to play my natural game. It worked for me today, Nayar said. The plan that the two friends had worked out was tough to implement,considering the reading on the scoreboard when Nayar walked in to bat. With Ishant Sharma in fine rhythm,Nayar had to be cautious. But he couldnt control himself when left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra came on to bowl. He hit a six over long-on and that stroke turned the tide for the batsman,who was low on confidence. Before this inning,Nayar had scored just 89 runs from five games this season. A wrist injury had compounded his troubles as he wasnt included in the squad for the last two games. A trip to the National Cricket Academy changed things as his injury got healed and he could now hit the ball cleanly. Nayar said he wanted to prove a point with this game. The captain and the coach showed confidence in me and I didnt want to disappoint them. If you see,in those five matches,I was never out playing a rash stroke. So,in a way I was curbing myself. Today I played my natural game and that worked for me, Nayar said. Skipper Wasim Jaffer too appreciated the timely ton by his out-of-form all-rounder. He is a big match player and thats why he was included in the playing XI today. I am very happy the way he played under pressure, said Jaffer. Nayar said Omkar Khanvilkars (70) support was crucial. After Khanvilkar departed,Ajit Agarkar took over. Enhancing his reputation as the most consistent lower batsman for Mumbai,Agarkar was unbeaten on 57 with the Agarkar-Nayar pair adding 100 runs. Earlier,when Mumbai won the toss and decided to bat,Delhi relied on pacer Ishant Sharma to make an early impact. The lanky pacer dismissed Jaffer,trapped in front,and Ajinkya Rahane,who lost his stumps playing a similar stroke. But Nayar changed things for Mumbai.
