Ajinkya Rahane saved defending champions Mumbai the blushes after the top order collapsed against Haryana on the first day of their quarterfinal match.
On a wicket where the ball kept low, Rahane remained unbeaten on 116 (14x4) and shared a 174-run stand with Ajit Agarkar for the fifth wicket. At stumps, they were 238 for 5.
Mumbai’s opening woes continued as the openers were back with just 17 on the board. Sahil Kukreja (5) was the first to depart. His partner, Sushant Marathe, was trapped leg before by Joginder for six.
Haryana skipper Amit Mishra set an attacking field to keep the pressure on.
Medium pacer Sachin Rana further set Mumbai back by dismissing Wasim Jaffer (19) and Rohit Sharma (0) in quick succession.
Thereafter, Haryana found the going tough. The Rahane-Agarkar pair started off well and looked at ease. Rahane took his time to settle down, but once set, he was rock solid.
After initially working the ball for ones and twos, he thrived in the post-lunch session and, along with Agarkar first, took the team to safety, and then guided them to a respectable total.
Rahane completed his century with a copybook boundary through mid-off. It was the 21-year-old’s 10th Ranji century, the second of the season.
{{/usCountry}}Rahane completed his century with a copybook boundary through mid-off. It was the 21-year-old’s 10th Ranji century, the second of the season.
{{/usCountry}}Rana engineered the breakthrough by ending Agarkar’s 225-minute vigil. The all-rounder struck a stoic 78 that contained nine fours and a six.
At stumps, Rahane and Powar (0) were at the crease.
Brief Score: Mumbai 238 for 5 (A Rahane batting 116, A Agarkar 78; S Rana 3-41) vs Haryana.