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Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane had scored a terrific century against Saurashtra in the last match of Ranji Trophy but the veteran Indian batter failed to do anything productive as he was dismissed for a duck in the first innings against Goa in a Group D match on February 24 (Thursday).
For Mumbai, their batter Sarfaraz Khan scored 63 runs off 119 balls to help his side in avoiding an utter humiliation as Mumbai were bundled out for a mere total of 163 runs in first innings. In the last match, against Saurashtra, Sarfaraz had played a terrific innings as he had scored a double century (275 runs off 401 balls). The right-handed batter tried to keep his good form alive against Goa but a poor batting show displayed by the Mumbai batters saw the Prithvi Shaw-led side reach a paltry total of 163 runs.
Rahane's dismal show
Rahane, on the other hand, did score a century (129 runs off 290 deliveries) in the first match of the Ranji Trophy. Rahane’s innings was comprised of 17 boundaries and 2 sixes but his superb batting could not help him in earning a spot in the Test squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. In the second match of the Ranji Trophy, Rahane managed to face just three balls but could not score a single run as he was dismissed by medium pacer Lakshay Garg in the 10th over of the match.
The former India vice-captain would have wanted to showcase his terrific batting skills in order to be in contention for a spot in the Indian team but in reality that was not the case as the 33-year-old batter failed to score a single run.
Goa's terrific bowling display
For Goa, their right-arm medium pacer Lakshay Garg picked up six wickets to put immense pressure on Mumbai. The remaining four wickets were claimed by Goa spinner Amit Yadav.
It is important to mention that another veteran Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara also failed to book his spot in the Indian Test team scheduled to face Sri Lanka next month.
In the last match against Mumbai, Pujara failed to open his account in first innings but in the second innings, the 34-year-old Gujarat-born batsman scored 91 runs off 83 balls. His innings was comprised of 16 boundaries and one six.
