Rahane entertains as West make sound reply

It perhaps gave the teenager, an opener by nature, the right platform to flourish in the company of the experienced Jaffer as he hit the crease after Sahil Kukreja departed without disturbing the scoresheet. Rahane played all around the wicket, pulls, cover drives, on drives all were used in abundance, but a straight drive off Steve Kirby will remain etched in the memory for a long time.

Just as the Mumbai opener opened his account with a fine glance off the same bowler, he looked in perfect rhythm. He hit Graham Onions for three fours in the bowler8217;s eighth over, two through the covers and one through the point region. His innings was characterised by grandiosity, and so it was fitting that he brought up his fifty by hitting Jon Trott straight down the ground past the ropes. His knock had 18 exquisite boundaries. 8220;He played very well. He looks like a fine player,8221; rival captain Michael Yardy said after the day8217;s play.

If Rahane8217;s innings was strewn with flamboyance, the other Mumbaikar8217;s was pure classical. If cricket was introduced as a leisure game, Jaffer epitomises it. His elegant yet languid shots, particularly the on drives off the toes, and front-foot cover drives, make one wonder whether cricket was really played like this once upon a time. He had all the time in the world to play his strokes.

This was his first match after returning from a disappointing Test series in Australia, where he accumulated only 49 runs from three Tests. So a lot was at stake for him, but the 29-year-old found his form straightway.

Like Rahane, Jaffer also reached his fifty with a boundary, a pull through midwicket. Jaffer8217;s innings was stitched with 13 boundaries.

Earlier, resuming at 273 for 4, England Lions8217; innings finished at 355. Michael Yardy, who began the day on his individual score of 151, could add only 18 runs to his overnight score. He was bowled by left-arm medium pacer Sandeep Jobanputra. The Saurashtra player claimed two wickets today. His teammate Rakesh Dhruve took three wickets.

The initiative was with the Lions as Graham Onions8217; produced an edge from Kukreja8217;s bat to send the opener back into the hut. But that meant the beginning of Rahane-Jaffer8217;s unbeaten partnership.

Brief scores

England Lions 355 Michael Yardy 169, Jon Trott 44, Joe Denly 32, Ed Joyce 32, Graham Onions 31; Rakesh Dhruve 3/53, Ashraf Makada 3/61, vs West Zone 187 for 1 Ajinkya Rahane batting 93, Wasim Jaffer batting 82.

VRV stars

Meanwhile, in another Duleep Trophy match at the Madhavrao Scindia Stadium in Rajkot, Punjab pacer VRV Singh returned a five-for to bundle out East Zone for 143 runs, thereby giving North Zone a first innings lead of 217 runs.

North, however, did not ask the opposition to follow on. At stumps on Day Two, North were 109 for 2 with Aakash Chopra on 56 and Mitthun Manhas on 12, stretching their overall lead to 326.

North Zone, earlier in the day, resuming their innings on an overnight score of 260/7, were all out for 360 with Shib Sankar Paul claiming five wickets.

For East Zone WP Saha top scored with an unbeaten 56 as VRV Singh 5/59 wrecked havoc with his fiery bowling.

Brief scores

North Zone: 360 038; 109 for 2 Aakash Chopra not out 56; Debashish Mohanty 1/15, Ranadeb Bose 1/31 vs East Zone 143 WP Saha not out 56; VRV Singh 5/59, Chetanya Nanda 2/0, Amit Mishra 2/26.