Maharashtra skipper Bawane kills Tamil Nadu's hopes of making Ranki knockouts

Maharashtra who were overnight 104 for 3 in 26 overs added 260 more runs on Friday. They were 364 for 5 in 90.3 overs, when both the captains decided to call off the match, just after tea break. Ruturaj Gaikwad was adjudged as man of the match.

Maharashtra captain Ankit Bawne had said on Thursday that his team on Friday would look to score runs quickly with wickets in hand and in case there was a chase ensure that Tamil Nadu does not have enough time to hunt down the same. That was exactly what he did.

"Pleased that my century came in handy for the team. The final day's play can always be tricky. Glad that the game ended in a draw and we got some valuable points," said Bawne after the match. "Having lost a wicket early in the morning and also Kedar getting out, It was imperative that I take responsibility and play as long as possible," added the 30-year-old.

"Even after we lost a couple of wickets we played positively. If we had played defensively we could have lost a couple of more wickets in the pre-lunch session. Luckily our lower middle order is really good. Azim played brilliantly. When you have a dependable guy at the other end your job is easy and your plans work," opined Bawne.

Maharashtra could have set a stiff target of say 300 runs and gone for an outright win. "You see, batting is our strength. We have one of the strongest batting line-ups in the country. Our boys (batters) did well in Vijay Hazare too. Bowling in red-ball is not that strong like our batting. Our bowlers are youngsters who do have that much first class experience. That's why we did not go for an out-right win," signed off Bawne.