A veteran and a youngster led the charge for Mumbai on Day One of their Ranji Trophy Super League game against Hyderabad.
Captain Wasim Jaffer hits an unbeaten 204 and Ajinkya Rahane slams 137 not out as hosts end Day One at 366 for 1 against Hyderabad
MUMBAI: A veteran and a youngster led the charge for Mumbai on Day One of their Ranji Trophy Super League game against Hyderabad. Skipper Wasim Jaffer and No.3 Ajinkya Rahane, all of 21, hit the right notes for 78.1 overs and stitched together a record 328-run unbeaten partnership. If Jaffer was silky smooth in his stroke play then Rahane was bold and effective in his execution of shots.
They also broke a 27-year-old record for the second wicket for Mumbai. The record was previously held by Ghulam Parkar and Guru Gupte, who added 219 runs against Tamil Nadu at Madras way back in 1981. They look good for more on Wednesday.
Though the wicket didn’t hinder stroke players in anyway it wasn’t kind on fast bowlers once the early morning juice disappeared. Jaffer had no hesitation in choosing to bat and though Vinayak Mane, who made a comeback after 22 months, struggled and fell early, Jaffer and Rahane milked the Hyderabad attack.
At the end of the day, Jaffer remained unbeaten on 204 and Rahane kept him company on 137. After a disappointing show against Saurashtra, where his team was bowled out for 214 in the first innings and hung on to make 157 for 7 in their next outing, Jaffer took it upon himself to show how it is done.
Rahane played true to his form. Right from the outset he looked set for a big score. His century on Tuesday was his third of the season.
The two scored runs at a brisk rate. Rahane, though, was the first to reach the half-century mark. It took him 68 balls and seven boundaries. Eight balls later, Jaffer too got his fifty at the stroke of lunch.
Rahane was the more aggressive of the two before lunch, but after the break there was a role reversal. Rahane dropped anchor and Jaffer went in search of quick runs.
Between lunch and tea, Mumbai made 155 runs of which Jaffer contributed 100. The Hyderabad spinners, SM Quadri, Lalith Mohan and T Suman, were given no respect by the Mumbai skipper.
If Jaffer was having a field day, then his counterpart Arjun Yadav was left struggling for answers in the face of Mumbai’s assault. Jaffer put the sweep and reverse sweep to good use against the spinners and upset their rhythm straightaway.
The third session saw the duo slow down the pace, while Jaffer reached his double hundred in 245 balls.
“A team score in excess of 550 is on my mind,” said Jaffer. The skipper was all praise for Rahane. “The number of strokes he played in the early part of his innings eased the pressure on me. After that he rotated the strike and allowed me to play my shots too. It was a well-paced and mature innings.”
Scorecard
Mumbai:
VR Mane c Abhinav Kumar b Arjun 5, W Jaffer not out 204, AM Rahane not out 137
Extras (lb 10, w 6, nb 4) 20; Total (1 wicket; 90 overs) 366
Fall of wickets: 1-38
Bowling: SM Shoaib 9-1-36-0, MP Arjun 18-0-67-1, Ashwin Yadav 12-1-51-0, A Lalith Mohan 23-1-99-0, SA Quadri 12-0-53-0, TS Suman 10-0-34-0, DB Ravi Teja 6-1-16-0
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}