Gaikwad’s ton rescues Maha

PUNE: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s quickfire unbeaten (118, 126b, 16x4, 3x6) helped Maharashtra reach 350 for six against Tamil Nadu on the first day of its Elite Group ‘B’ Ranji Trophy match here.

Asked to bat first, Maharashtra got off to a shaky start losing two wickets with 45 runs on the board before Gaikwad and former India batter Kedar Jadhav (56, 78b, 5x4, 2x6) added 81 runs for the third wicket to steady the ship. Skipper Ankit Bawne chipped in with a useful (45, 81b, 5x4, 1x6) and towards the end of the day’s play, Azim Kazi struck an entertaining 87 not out (119b, 6x4, 4x6).

Brief scores: Maharashtra 350/6 in 83 overs (R Gaikwad 118 batting, A Kazi 87 batting, K Jadhav 56, A Bawne 45) vs Tamil Nadu