Rahul Tripathi scores a swashbuckling 191 against Jain Irrigation in the Times Shield Tournament
It was a wonderful match between two strong teams namely Jain Irrigation vs BPCL at the Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana in Kandivali. BPCL who has a strong batting arsenal elected to bat first after winning the toss. Their aim was to make a big score and put the pressure on Jain Irrigation.
The decision of batting first went in their favor as openers gave a wonderful start of 150 runs to the innings which set the tone for BPCL. BPCL were looking all set for a big score as Akash and Eknath both scored wonderful centuries. However, it was Rahul tripathi who took the game to an another level when he arrived at the crease when it was 250/4. Right handed aggressive batsman Rahul shredded the bowlers into pieces with his swashbuckling 191 coming off just 154 balls. Tripathi’s 191 included 22 perfect boundaries and 9 glorious sixes out of which a straight six against the pacer was his personal favorite. Tripathi made a three day match look like a T20 & he fell short of just 9 runs where he gave away his wicket trying to attack the bowlers as his team was on the verge of declaring. It was because of his 191 his team reached a total of 650. In reply, BPCL were all out for 400 runs and they lost by 200 runs in the 1st innings itself. Rahul also contributed with the ball too, taking 2 wickets with his medium pace.
BPCL won the match comfortably and Rahul Tripathi was adjudged “man of the match”. Rahul who recently scored a quick half century apart from also hitting a record six sixes in an over some time ago is making the right noises to be heard & considered for IPL. Tripathi who has been playing Ranji for the past few years and is also playing consistently aggressive cricket surely shall get a call up soon from the right places. Big hitting abilities along with medium pace where he can chip in with wickets certainly are the perfect ingredients for IPL considerations & we wish he continues his good form for a long time.