Batter Ankit Bawne scores 25th First-Class century in Ranji opener

Maharashtra batsman Ankit Bawne scored an unbeaten 105 runs off 232 deliveries against Services on the first day of the Ranji Trophy opener at Palam. Maharashtra ended the opening day at 287 for 5, with Services bowler Arjun Sharma taking 3 wickets for 74 runs.

Career and Comeback

This marks Bawne's 25th First-Class century after a poor previous season where he scored only 72 runs at an average of 10.28. Nearly two decades ago, as a 15-year-old from Aurangabad who learned cricket by watching television without professional coaching, he won the BCCI's MA Chidambaram award as India's best Under-15 cricketer after scoring 11 centuries in 12 innings at the MCA Invitational U-15 league, followed by double-centuries and centuries in the Polly Umrigar Trophy. He is now nearing 15,000 runs in domestic cricket and nearly 20 years in the circuit.

Past India A Stints

Bawne previously scored an unbeaten 162 for India A against a New Zealand A team featuring Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi in 2017, followed by an unbeaten 91 against Australia A a year later. He also captained the India A team to a 4-1 series win against the England Lions. Despite those past performances, a senior national team call-up never arrived.

Context

The Ranji Trophy is India's premier domestic first-class cricket tournament, serving as the primary breeding ground and selection pathway for the national Test team. Domestic stalwarts often play for decades in this circuit, balancing the pursuit of national selection with the grind of multi-day state cricket.