Pujara and Rahane have been omitted from the Test team. (File) Eyes on Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane will be the centre of attention when Mumbai play Goa in their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match in Ahmedabad. The former India vice-captain did score a hundred (129) against Saurashtra, but it could not save his place in the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka.
Sarfaraz keen to continue purple patch
Sarfaraz Khan, who scored 275 against defending champions Saurashtra, will also be eager to prolong his purple patch in red-ball cricket. The Mumbai middle-order batsman had a great 2019-20 season in the Ranji Trophy. He scored 928 runs in six matches with an average of 154.66. His last few Ranji Trophy innings include a 177, a 226 not out, an unbeaten 301, and 275.
Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane in action during Ranji trophy match between Saurashtra and Mumbai at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran) Pujara’s chance of redemption
A day after chief selector Chetan Sharma said the door was not closed on him, and his performances in Ranji Trophy will be watched, Cheteshwar Pujara scored an 83-balls 91 with 16 fours and a six against Mumbai in Ahmedabad. The veteran of 95 Tests will be looking to build upon that start when Saurashtra take on Odisha.
Cheteshwar Pujara. Ishant boost for Delhi
Veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma, who has made himself available for the Ranji Trophy after missing the first game, is set to start against Jharkhand on Thursday. Ishant, 33, has played 105 Tests but has gone down in the pecking order for the national team following the emergence of Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj, and was dropped for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. The experienced pacer even went unsold in the IPL auction.
Ishant Sharma. No stopping Dhull
After leading India to its fifth Under-19 World Cup earlier this month, Yash Dhull began his senior career with a century in each innings on his Ranji Trophy debut against Tamil Nadu. He is only the third Indian — after Nari Contractor for Gujarat in 1952/53 and Virag Awate for Maharashtra in 2012/13 — to score a hundred in each innings on Ranji debut. After a great start, the youngster would be eager for more.
Yash Dhull. Blistering Shahrukh
Tamil Nadu’s Shahrukh Khan probably played the best knock in the first round of matches. The 26-year-old middle-order batsman smashed a 148-ball 194 that ensured the first-innings lead for Tamil Nadu against Delhi. Considered a white-ball finisher with a lucrative IPL contract, he showed his prowess in the red-ball format with this knock. Tamil Nadu will be up against Chhattisgarh.
Shahrukh Khan. Sensational Edhen
First-ball wickets in both innings, six wickets overall (4/41 & 2/30) and player-of-the-match award on debut, Kerala’s 16-year-old Edhen Tom Apple began his first-class career in spectacular fashion against Meghalaya. Kerala will lock horns with Gujarat next.
Edhen Tom Apple. 
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
