When Ajinkya Rahane reached his first century of the season with a quiet single, his celebration was understated. He simply raised his bat to the dugout and offered a thumbs-up to his teammates, a testament to his focused approach.
Throughout his impressive 315-minute innings at the crease, Rahane exuded an unshakeable calm. His composed presence not only led him to his 42nd First-Class hundred but also proved crucial in steering Mumbai away from a perilous position against Chhattisgarh on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group-D fixture.
Rahane, who scored 118 runs from 237 balls including 15 fours, found his form after a challenging start to the season. He forged a vital 165-run fourth-wicket partnership with Siddhesh Lad (80 runs off 146 balls, 13 fours), helping Mumbai conclude the day at a respectable 251 for five after being reduced to a troubling 38 for three earlier in the session.
The home side’s start at the MCA-BKC ground was far from ideal. Openers Musheer Khan and Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who replaced Ayush Mhatre, struggled to build momentum after Chhattisgarh won the toss and elected to bowl first. Exploiting the overcast conditions, fast bowler Ravi Kiran effectively dismantled Mumbai’s top-order.
Musheer was the first to depart, carelessly throwing his wicket away in the opening over to a spin delivery. Attempting to sweep left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate, he managed only a top-edge, which the bowler comfortably caught.
Raghuvanshi soon followed, trapped leg-before-wicket by a full delivery from Ravi Kiran. Kiran continued his excellent spell by dismissing number four batsman Himanshu Singh in a similar fashion.
However, as the pitch gradually improved, Rahane and Lad displayed remarkable resilience. They settled in, scoring a significant portion of their runs through the square of the wicket. Lad, building on a recent century, took his time before increasing the scoring rate, while Rahane steadily accumulated singles. This partnership saw Mumbai add 97 crucial runs in the second session.
The final session saw two quick wickets fall. Lad narrowly missed his century, offering a straightforward catch in the slips off Ajay Mandal’s bowling. Sarfaraz Khan’s stay was brief, perishing for just one run after six balls. Despite these setbacks, Rahane and Shams Mulani regrouped. Unfortunately, Rahane had to retire hurt due to cramps, ending his impactful innings.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai – 1st Innings: Angkrish Raghuvanshi lbw b Ravi Kiran 9, Musheer Khan c & b Sarwate 12, Ajinkya Rahane (retired hurt) 118, Himanshu Singh lbw b Ravi Kiran 0, Siddhesh Lad c Ashutosh b Mandal 80, Sarfaraz Khan c Shashank b Sarvate 1, Shams Mulani (batting) 25, Akash Anand (batting) 0. Extras: (b-4, lb-1, nb-1) 6. Total (for five wickets in 84 overs): 251.
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-36, 3-38, 4-203, 5-204.
Chhattisgarh Bowling: Ravi Kiran 12-4-22-2, Majumdar 13-1-42-0, Sarwate 25-6-65-2, Bareth 6-0-38-0, Mandal 23-5-55-1, Shashank 4-0-18-0, Ashutosh 1-0-6-0.
Toss: Chhattisgarh.