Saturday turned out to be a day Cheteshwar Pujara would like to forget quickly. It started with a ‘duck' and ended with a drop.
Saurashtra’s Pujara needed to score runs in the ongoing Ranji Trophy Elite Group D game against Mumbai in Ahmedabad to give his dying Test career some oxygen. However, the 34-year-old didn’t score any and lasted only four balls at the crease before he was trapped lbw by an incoming deliver from seamer Mohit Avasthi. In the evening, the India selectors decided not to include Pujara in the Test squad.
Saurashtra were all out for 220 in their first innings and Mumbai, who had declared their first essay on 544/7, promptly enforced the follow-on. Saurashtra, however, were batting better in their second innings, ending Day III on 105/0.
While Pujara failed, Tamil Nadu’s Shahrukh Khan struck a 148-ball 194 in the Group H game against Delhi in Guwahati.
His superb innings, decked with 20 fours and 10 sixes, helped Tamil Nadu overhaul Delhi’s first innings total of 452 by scoring 494. Baba Indrajith too got a century, scoring 117.
Three matches finished on Saturday itself.
While Chhattisgarh defeated Jharkhand by eight wickets in a Group H game, Kerala thrashed Meghalaya by an innings and 166 runs in a Group A contest. In the Plate Group, Manipur walloped Arunachal Pradesh by an innings and 25 runs.
