Veteran Wasim Jaffer slams century as Vidarbha take honours against Mumbai
Nagpur: Veteran Wasim Jaffer slammed a century to propel hosts Vidarbha to an imposing 389 for 4 againstMumbai on the opening day of their Elite Ranji Trophy Group A game here Sunday. It was business as usual for 40-year-old Jaffer as he made 178 in 196 balls against his former team at the VIdarbha Cricket Association Stadium. The right-handed batsman completed his 56th first-class century in the process.
Jaffer and one down Atharva Taide (95 in 128 balls) justified Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal’s decision to bat first as they took Mumbai bowlers to task. After in-form Fazal (1) had a rare failure, Jaffer and Taide steadied the Vidarbha ship by conjuring a massive 199-run stand for the second wicket.
Mumbai used as many as eight bowlers in the day but barring Dhurmil Matkar (3-92) all others had an off day. Mumbai’s hopes were pinned on pace duo of Shardul Thakur (1-68) and Tushar Deshpande (0-57), who were returning to cricket after injuries, but they could not deliver.
Jaffer struck 22 fours and two sixes in his 196-ball knock. While the veteran batsman brought up his hundred in just 85 balls, he completed his 150 in 161 balls. After Taide fell, Jaffer and Ganesh Satish (77 not out) took the hosts ahead.
However, Jaffer could not complete a deserving double hundred, getting caught by wicket-keeper Aditya Tare off Dhurmil Matkar. At stumps Satish and M R Kale (33 not out) were holding fort as Vidarbha is looking poised for a big first innings score.
41-time Ranji champions Mumbai need outright win to stay alive in the coveted domestic tournament. At Pune, hosts Maharashtra were bundled out for 230 by Gujarat with middle order batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad top scoring with 70. Skipper Rahul Tripathi chipped in with a valuable 62.
At close of play, Gujarat were 41/0, still adrift by 189 runs. Krunal Pandya struck 160 as visitors Baroda reached 289 for 6 againstRailways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi. At Alur near Bengaluru, hosts Karnataka rode on centuries by opener Dega Nischal (107 not out) and Siddharth K V (105) to reach a comfortable 273 for 4 againstChhattisgarh.
Brief Scores: At Nagpur: Vidarbha 389 for 4 (Wasim Jaffer 178, Atharva Taide 95, Ganesh Satish 77 not out, Dhurmil Matkar 3-92) versus Mumbai. At Pune : Maharashtra 230 all out (Ruturaj Gaikwad 70, Rahul Tripathi 62, C T Gaja 5-57, Piyush Chawla 3-39) versus Gujarat 41/0.
Gujarat trail by 189 runs. At Alur (Karnataka): Karnataka 273 for 4(Dega Nischal 107 not out, Siddharth K V 105, Manish Pandey 40, Pankaj Rao 4-38) versus Chhattisgarh. At New Delhi (Karnail Singh Stadium): Baroda 289/6(Krunal Pandya 160, Mitesh Patel 55 not out, Amit Mishra 4-65) versus Railways.
