Ajinkya Rahane sends strong message to Ajit Agarkar ahead of West Indies Tests
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Former India batter Ajinkya Rahane has shown some promising signs with his return to form with a commanding century just before the onset of the domestic season for Mumbai. The 37-year-old has not announced his retirement and is still hopeful for a comeback.
The premier Indian batter has played for Mumbai for a long period of time, and despite being snubbed from the Indian team, he has never given up on the hope of making a comeback. However, Mumbai have been struggling with their form in the pre-season.
The domestic heavyweights must pull up their socks before they face Jammu & Kashmir in Srinagar for their opening Ranji Trophy match of the season. The match is expected to start on the 15th of October.
Ajinkya Rahane returns to form with his stunning hundred
The Mumbai batter has shown signs of recovery, as he revives form in red-ball cricket after stepping down from Mumbai captaincy. Ajinkya Rahane, the veteran batter, went on to score a stunning hundred against KSCA Secretary XI in their last league match of the KSCA K. Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament.
Rahane's free-flowing hundred came alongside useful efforts from Pranav Kela (46), Musheer Khan (43), and Hardik Tamore (34*) as they helped Mumbai end the four-day match in a draw with the score of 270/5.
Rahane also scored a 26 in their first inning, while the 37-year-old opted to play in the tournament to regain form before the start of the domestic season for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. He had also scored 66 in the first match of the tournament against Assam.
Mumbai crashed out of the KSCA K. Thimmappiah Memorial Cricket Tournament with a draw
Mumbai crashed out of the KSCA tournament in the league stage after conceding the first innings lead to the hosts of the tournament. Mumbai, earlier in the pre-season, had also failed to make it to the knockouts of the Buchi Babu Tournament.
KSCA batters Abhishek Ahlawat and Lochan Gowda played their part in the match as they piled up 280 runs in the first innings. Tushar Deshpande was the pick of the bowlers for Mumbai with 3 wickets.
Replying to the 280 run total, Mumbai folded up for just 182 runs in less than 50 overs of their innings. Indian Test all-rounder, Shardul Thakur, provided some resistance with the bat as he scored a fighting 77. Left-arm spinner Madhav Bajaj picked a 5-for in the innings.
In the second innings, KSCA dominated with a stunning 429 as Druv P scored an unbeaten 159*, which led them to a strong position against Mumbai. Mumbai managed to draw the match.
Sylvester D'Souza is among the bright spots for Mumbai in the pre-season
For Mumbai, despite having a poor pre-season in the Indian domestic cricket, they have some positives. The Mumbai team found the all-rounder Shardul Thakur as their biggest positive, since every time the team needed him, he delivered without fail.
Another huge find has been bowler Sylvester D'Souza, who has picked 8 wickets in the match against KSCA President XI. He has been the best performer for Mumbai with the figures of 3/51 and 5/65 in the game. His rise in the upcoming Ranji Trophy would be one to look out for.
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Mumbai Cricket team Ajinkya Rahane KSCA Shardul Thakur Sylvester D’Souza Ranji Trophy India National Cricket Team India vs West Indies
