Suresh Raina corrects Ajinkya Rahane: A convolution saw the captain of India C celebrating a century while on 97*.
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During the final of the Deodhar Trophy between India B and India C at Delhi, India C defeated India B by 29 runs to win the title. Playing under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, India B had earlier won both their league matches.
Ajinkya Rahane, captain of India C, had won the toss and chose to bat. In their allotted quota of 50 overs, India C scored a match-winning 352-7. An opening partnership of 210 runs between Rahane and wicket-keeper batsman Ishan Kishan provided the right start for India C.
While Rahane made amends after failing in the first two matches at the top of the order, Kishan made the most of the opportunity to open the innings. Having scored 5 (No. 7), 69 (No. 5) and 114 (No. 2) in the tournament, apart from rising up the batting order, Kishan has risen up his form as well.
Both the batsmen played in their own archetype manner. The dasher in Kishan scored 114 (87) with the help of 11 fours and six sixes. On the other hand, Rahane played through the innings, scoring 144* (156) with the help of nine fours and three sixes.
Suresh Raina, who scored 47 runs in three matches at an average of 23.50 and a strike rate of 70.14 during India’s tour of England this year, was out cheaply for the third time in a row. In the three matches that Raina has played in this tournament, he has scored four runs at an average of 1.33 and a strike rate of 23.52. Miserable numbers such as these won’t help him to secure a World Cup spot in the times to come.
With bowling figures of 10-1-52-3, Jaydev Unadkat was the pick of the India B bowlers.
For India B, Iyer led from the front, scoring his fifth List A century and career-best score of 148 (114). His innings comprised of 11 fours and eight sixes. That being said, lack of support from the other end, saw his team short of the target.
Both Rahane and Iyer last played an ODI for India during their tour of South Africa earlier this year. While scored an unbeaten 34, Iyer didn’t get a chance to bat. The latter has been named in the T20I squad for the series against Windies and Australia. Rahane, on the other hand, has withered away from India’s limited-overs formats of late.
Yet to make his international debut, Kishan would be hoping for continual opportunities for India A in a bid to press his case.
Scoring runs in a big final usually contain a higher value. Whether such impact-generating innings will aid these players in making the cut for the national innings, only time will.
The match took a funny turn when Rahane celebrated his hundred while still on 97*. It was only after Raina signaled to him that he realised that he is yet to score a century. Watch the full video below:
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