 "Ranji Trophy: Pujara scores 63rd first-class ton; Saurashtra in command")
Seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara struck his 63rd first-class century while Prerak Mankad and Arpit Vasavada also registered hundreds to give Saurashtra a 387-run first innings lead against Manipur here on Saturday.
In reply, Manipur, who where bowled out for 142 in their first essay on Friday, were reeling at 55 for 3 at stumps on second day, still trailing by 332 runs.
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Resuming the day at 153/3, Saurashtra's stand-in skipper Vasavada (148) and all-rounder Mankad (173) took the Manipur bowling attack to the cleaners, while sharing a 152-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Coming in at number 6, Pujara (108 off 105 deliveries), known for his defensive style of play, showcased his class once again smashing less than a run-a-ball century, his 63rd in first class cricket.
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The 36-year-old hit 12 fours and a six in his unusual knock. Pujara, who is eyeing a return to the Indian Test team, is enjoying a good Ranji season, having already notched up an unbeaten double hundred against Jharkand and another 110 in the previous game.
The Test veteran last appeared for India at the World Test Championship final against Australia in June last year and even though he has continued to pile on runs in first class cricket, the Indian selectors have preferred to look ahead, giving opportunities to youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rajat Patidar and Sarfaraz Khan in the ongoing marquee series against England.
Defending champions Saurashtra declared their innings at 529 for 6 before pacer Chetan Sakariya, Veteran Saurashtra left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja and off-spinner Yuvrajsinh Dodiya picked up a wicket each to put Saurashtra in a commanding position.
Brief Scores:
At Rajkot: Manipur 142, 55/3 in 28 overs (Ronald Longjam 32 batting; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 1/12, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya 1/15, Chetan Sakariya 1/18) trails Saurashtra 529/6 dec in 104.1 overs (Prerak Mankad 173, Arpit Vasavad 148, Cheteshwar Pujara 108; Lambam Singh 3/157) by 332 runs
In Jamshedpur: Jharkhand 188 and 171/5 in 37 overs (Aryaman Sen 38; Aniket Choudhary 2/28) leads Rajasthan 210 all out in 71.5 Overs (Salman Khan 52; Varun Aaron 4/65) by 149 runs
In Delhi: Maharashtra 225 leads Services 217/4 in 99 overs (Shubham Rohilla 72, Vineet Dhankhar 43; Taranjitsingh Dhillon 2/69, Arshin Kulkarni 2/23) by 8 runs.