Ajinkya Rahane’s unbeaten 144 was matched shot for shot by Shreyas Iyer’s 148 whose team fell short in a massive run chase.
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Two captains, two Mumbaikars, and two eloquent batsmen took centre stage in the final of the Deodhar Trophy between India C and India B at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi on Saturday.
Captaining India C, Ajinkya Rahane opted to bat first and batted through the innings scoring a mammoth 144* that took his team's total to 352. While chasing this colossal target, skipper Shreyas Iyer was the lone warrior with a stubborn 148 but lacked support at the other end as his team was all out for 323 in the 47th over.
Photo credit: HotstarElecting to bat first, Rahane had stitched a double century stand for the first wicket with Ishan Kishan, the southpaw scoring a quickfire ton. Rahane smashed nine fours and three sixes in his 156-balls stay at the crease. The 30-year-old, who played for North Mumbai Panthers in T20 Mumbai, forged a 57-run partnership with Shubman Gill and a 66-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav keeping his end steady throughout the innings.
What happened there? 😁 😆 @ajinkyarahane88 felt he got to a 100, @ImRaina was quick to rectify there were 3 more runs to go 😄 pic.twitter.com/qi5RaMF8t8
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 27, 2018
"I was striking the ball well," Rahane said about his 10th List A century. "It was just about spending some time in the middle."
What a shot . Ajinkya Rahane at his best today pic.twitter.com/LD6y9EF0bp
— ROHIT SHARMA (@iTheRider1) October 27, 2018
Towards the end, the India C skipper was well supported by Yadav, who played a stunning cameo of 39 off just 18 balls with a strike rate of 216.66 that included four maximums. The Triumph Knights Mumbai North East captain was in an explosive mood, with Mayank Markande going for 20 runs in the 45th over and Deepak Chahar for 19 in the 47th, that helped push the score to 352/7.
"Suryakumar Yadav showed great intent when he came out to bat," Rahane observed.
In response, Iyer played a blinder in the chase after walking out to bat in only the fourth over. When he eventually got out at the end of the 43rd over he had amassed his highest One Day score with 148 in just 114 balls, which is now registered as the highest score in a Deodhar Trophy final, eclipsing Rahane's knock from earlier in the day.
Shreyas Iyer 100 in just 80 balls.
— Abhijeet (@TheYorkerBall) October 27, 2018
What an innings this has been chasing 353, has kept India B in the game, need 139 from 114 balls #DeodharTrophy pic.twitter.com/wfkAaT1Kln
Iyer hammered India C spinners, hitting them for seven sixes and peppering the straight boundaries at Kotla. His 11 fours and eight maximums were not enough, though, as he kept losing partners at the other end.
It was a run-fest at the Kotla & India C are crowned Deodhar Trophy champions as they clinch the final by 29 runs. pic.twitter.com/ZQSOaLwOpD
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) October 27, 2018
There's no better habit than winning! Well played boys! #DeodharTrophy pic.twitter.com/ps76zfesof
— ajinkyarahane88 (@ajinkyarahane88) October 27, 2018
