Ranji Trophy 2022: Cheteshwar Pujara hits 83-ball 91 for Saurashtra but Mumbai seal first-innings lead in draw
India Today
Ranji Trophy 2022: A day after he was dropped from the Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, Cheteshwar Pujara hit an uncharacteristic 91 for Saurashtra in their draw vs Mumbai in Ahmedabad.
Less than 24 hours after being dropped from the India Test squad, Cheteshwar Pujara struck an uncharacteristic 83-ball 91 for Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The Elite Group D match ended in a draw with Saurahtra making 372 for nine in their second innings on the fourth and final day.
Saurashtra were only 48 runs ahead when the stumps were drawn but the lack of time meant Mumbai could not go for an outright victory.
So the record 41-time winners settled for three points from the game for taking the first-innings lead while defending champions Saurashtra bagged one.
Bowling his slow left-arm spin to good effect, Shams Mulani returned career-best figures of 7/114, adding to his four wickets in the Saurashtra first innings.
On Saturday, senior batters Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, starting from March 4 in Mohali after an inconsistent run.
The seasoned Pujara has managed just 602 runs at 24.08 in 14 Tests over the last one year.
