India batter Ajinkya Rahane made a strong start to the Ranji trophy 2022, smashing a ton on the first day of the tournament. In the match between Mumbai and Saurasthra, Rahane hit 108 off 250 before stumps were called on Day 1 at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Rahane walked out to bat when Mumbai were reduced to 22/2 but his knock helped his side fight its way back to the top. They reached 263/3 after 87 overs and Rahane along with Sarfaraz Khan will resume the action on Friday.
Sarfaraz too scored a century and is batting at 121 off 219 balls.
{{/usCountry}}Sarfaraz too scored a century and is batting at 121 off 219 balls.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, it was not the ideal start that Prithvi Shaw would have hoped for as the Mumbai captain was dismissed on 1 from 10 balls.
Among the Saurashtra bowlers, captain Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, and Chirag Jani returned with one scalp each.
Rahane has been going through a rough patch and could only manage to score 136 runs in the six innings he played in South Africa, which included one half-century.
However, the ton against Saurashtra will definitely lift Rahane's confidence and will also increase his chances of being named in India's red-ball squad for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka, which will be played in March.
In another match between Delhi and Tamil Nadu at the ACA Stadium in Baraspara, U-19 captain Yash Dhull kicked-off his first-class career in style. He scored 113 off 150 balls and with this feat he joined a prestigious list of Indian players to have registered a century on Ranji Trophy debut, which comprises legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Amol Mujumdar, Rohit Sharma and several other legends.
Riding on some fine batting by Dhull at the top and a 71-run contribution by Jonty Sidhu, Delhi reached 291/7 at stumps on Day 1.