The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Rahane sparkles

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Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
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Rahane sparkles

Special Correspondent

VADODARA: Ajinkya Rahane hogged the limelight on the second day of the Duleep Trophy match against England Lions at Motibaug stadium here on Tuesday.

The Mumbai youngster, asked to bat at No. 3 position to accommodate Wasim Jaffer in the opener’s slot, seized the opportunity following opener Sahil Kukreja’s early exit. A masterly 93 not out and a dominant role in a 187-run stand with Jaffer for the second wicket carried West Zone to 187 for one in the first innings.

The Chairman of selectors, Dilip Vengsarkar, watched with interest Rahane’s play against Graham Onions and Steve Kirby, the Lions’s opening bowlers. The youngster had a lot of time to play his shots and his judgement of line was top-class. Onions, fired up by Kukreja’s wicket with his second delivery of the day, steamed in to bowl at the newcomer and ended up a worried man.

“From what I saw, he seemed a fine player,” said the visitor’s captain Michael Yardy, who scored 169 off 325 balls.

Kirby and Liam Plunkett tried the short stuff and the outcome was the same, this time the youngster getting inside the line for elegant pulls to the fence. Runs came in bursts, 11 fours marking his 50 off 65 balls. Jaffer wisely dropped anchor seeing his partner’s attacking mood and opened out later to stroke 12 fours for 82 not out (181 balls).

The India Test opener preferred the straight drives, besides wristy flicks to vacant deep fine leg. Monty Panersar came on in the 15th over, made little impression on a wicket getting slower, the ball keeping lower.

The scores: England Lions — 1st innings: Michael Carberry lbw b Makda 1, Joe Denly (run out) 32, Michael Yardy b Jobanputra 169, Ed Joyce lbw b Makda 32, Jon Trott lbw b Makda 44, Graham Onions c Kukreja b Jobanputra 31, James Foster lbw b Dhruv 0, Adil Rashid (not out) 9, Liam Plunkett c Kukreja b Powar 19, Steve Kirby lbw b Dhruv 3, Monty Panesar c Pujara b Dhruv 1, Extras (b-4, lb-8, nb-2) 14; Total (in 126 overs) 355.

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-51, 3-126, 4-267, 5-322, 6-323, 7-323, 8-342, 9-353.

West Zone bowling: Trivedi 22-0-73-0, Makda 18-4-61-3, Jobanputra 13-4-44-2, Powar 26-5-62-1, Dhruv 24-9-53-3, Pathan 21-7-39-0, Rahane 2-0-11-0.

West Zone — 1st innings: Sahil Kukreja c Foster b Onions 0, Wasim Jaffer (batting) 82, Ajinkya Rahane (batting) 93, Extras (b-2, lb-3, nb-7) 12; Total (for one wkt. in 55 overs) 187.

Fall of wicket: 1-0.

England bowling: Onions 11-1-41-1, Kirby 12-1-34-0, Panesar 9-3-29-0, Plunkett 9-2-25-0, Trott 6-2-16-0, Rashid 8-0-37-0.

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