Ranji trophy 2022: Rahane back in form with century, Manish Pandey slams blistering ton

Rahane, who had a mediocre Test series against South Africa in the recently concluded series, got to his ton in 212 balls, hitting 14 fours and 12 sixes along the way.

With Test series against Sri Lanka set to be played from first week of March after the T20s starting February 24, this hundred will provide the confidence that he needs and probably ensure that he retains his place in the Indian team.

Ajinkya Rahane scores 100 against saurastra in the #RanjiTrophy.
Much needed knock given the situation he is in. pic.twitter.com/x3RBqGvX1S

— K I R A N 🇮🇳 (@Kiran_reddy_k) February 17, 2022

𝘈𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘶! @ajinkyarahane88 opening the #RanjiTrophy2022 season with a fine half-century! 💜💛

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) February 17, 2022

https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.png

His prolonged inconsistent run has divided opinions with many saying it is time for the younger lot to replace them in the middle-order. The calls have only gotten louder following the loss in South Africa.

Cheteshwar Pujara, who is playing against Rahane in this match, will hope that his fortunes also turns around so that the questions of his selection in the Indian Test team dies down.

Meanwhile, in the Karnataka vs Railways match, Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey slammed an 83-ball 100 which consisted of 9 fours and 6 sixes. He ultimately reached 156 runs of 121 balls before being dismissed.

Scratch that. 156 in 121 balls from the Karnataka captain @im_manishpandey. What an innings! 🔥🔥#RanjiTrophy2022 #LucknowSuperGiants https://t.co/pCZMLAJowJ

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) February 17, 2022

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

In another match, Indian U-19 World Cup winning captain Yash Dhull continued his dream run even further. The right-hander started off his Ranji Trophy career with a century for Delhi on the very first day of the tournament on Thursday. In his debut game, Dhull smashed 113 runs off just 150 balls against Tamil Nadu with the help of 18 boundaries.