Released from India squad, Mumbaikar slams unbeaten 110 against UP; Iyer too notches up ton as hosts end Day 1 on 407/4
Rohit Sharma's last century in a first class game came in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series against the West Indies in 2013 (second Test at the Wankhede).
It took two years and 12 matches for the man to get another one. It did come on Saturday, albeit in a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Uttar Pradesh at the same venue.
The stylish batsman struck an unbeaten 110 to help the hosts post a commanding 407/4 on Day One of the Group B tie. Not just Sharma, promising batsman Shreyas Iyer continued his fine run by scoring another scintillating 137 (110b, 14x4, 5x6).
Earlier in the day, UP skipper Suresh Raina surprised everyone by opting to field on a batting-friendly track. The decision might have been motivated by the slight tinge of grass on the wicket. But the grass and new ball notwithstanding, Mumbai openers Aditya Tare (38) and Akhil Herwadkar (58) did not let Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar dominate the proceedings.
Once Iyer and Sharma arrived, the day was all about them. Iyer was at his attacking best, using his feet without fear against chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and leggie Piyush Chawla. He also hit Bhuvneshwar over covers for a six that left even Sharma amused.
Set for another double, Iyer went for a casual upper cut off Bhuvneshwar and edged it to wicket-keeper Eklavya Diwedi.
Sharma, meanwhile, was at his usual elegant best, dishing out beautiful cover and square drives. Even after completing his century by hitting part-time offie Umang Sharma inside out for a boundary, Sharma merely raised his bat towards the dressing room. A six over mid-wicket and a four through the covers followed.
"It was important to utilise the time," Sharma said after the end of day's play. "The three-figure mark wasn't important for me as much as spending time was. I came with the mindset of doing that.
"I wanted to face as many balls as possible, so that when I go back to Bengaluru (for the second Test), I will feel that I have utilised the four days really well. I wanted to go with a big smile on my face. However, my job is not over yet," Sharma added.
The stylish batsman is eyeing a big score.
"It doesn't matter if you play club, state or international cricket, a century gives you immense pleasure. It has given me the same. I take a lot of pride playing for Mumbai whenever I get an opportunity."
Sharma was all praise for Iyer, who he said reminded him of Virender Sehwag.
"Shreyas has been in good form. That is what I have been hearing from teammates in the dressing room. I'm glad that I was enjoying from the other end. He reminded me of Virender Sehwag a little bit. That is how he used to bat."
SCORECARD
Mumbai 1st innings: A Tare c Asnora b Rajpoot 30, A Herwadkar c Dwivedi b B Kumar 58, S Iyer c Dwivedi b B Kumar 137, R Sharma batting 110, S Yadav c B Kumar b Sharma 58, S Lad batting 12; Extras: (NB2) 2; Total: (4 wickets; 88 overs) 407 (4.62 runs per over); Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Tare, 21.2 ov), 2-161 (Herwadkar, 45.3 ov), 3-259 (Iyer, 62.1 ov), 4-358 (Yadav, 78.5 ov); Bowling: B Kumar 21-2-97-2, P Kumar 18-5-52-0, A Rajpoot 17-1-59-1, Kuldeep Yadav 16-1-103-0, P Chawla 13-0-74-0 (NB2), U Sharma 3-0-22-1
ELSEWHERE
Group A
In Kolkata: Bengal 217/7 in 82 overs (A Easwaran 58, S Mondal 56; A Wakhare 4/40) vs Vidarbha
In Delhi: Maharashtra 80 all out in 25.4 overs (N Saini 6/32) vs Delhi 157/4 in 52 overs (D Shorey 54, N Rana 59)
In Rohtak: Haryana 140/7 in 60 overs (H Rana 56, R Sharma 42) vs Assam
In Mysuru: Odisha 232 all out in 84.1 overs (G Poddar 153, P Das 40; S Gopal 4/75, J Suchith 3/56) vs Karnataka 16/0 in 7 overs
Group B
In Valsad: Gujarat 281/4 in 85 overs (P Panchal 128, S Patel 57, M Juneja 50*) vs Baroda
In Gwalior: Railways 256 all out in 82.4 overs (S Wakaskar 73, V Cheluvaraj 50; J Saxena 8/96) vs Madhya Pradesh 7/2 in 8 overs
In Chennai: Andhra 203 all out in 77.2 overs (K Bharat 56, A Pradeep 78; D Chandrasekar 4/41, M Rangarajan 3/72) vs Tamil Nadu 0/0 in 1 over
Group C
In Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh 352/4 in 90 overs (P Dogra 174*, N Gangta 93*; D Pathania 3/66) vs Services
In Jamshedpur: Jharkhand 304/3 in 90 overs (I Kishan 109, A Singh 124, S Tiwary 52*) vs J&K
In Mallapuram: Kerala 223/4 in 90 overs (P Prem 94*, S Baby 70) vs Tripura
In Rajkot: Goa 239 all out in 84 overs (D Misal 106; S Sanandiya 3/51, D Jadeja 3/41) vs Saurashtra 4/0 in 1 over
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