‘SMS Stadium is my fortress’: Sachin Yadav’s KL Rahul-inspired celebration after ton
· Yahoo Sports
Jaipur: It was far from an ideal opening Ranji Trophy match for Sachin Yadav, who scored just 1 and 0 against Tamil Nadu last week, but the left-hander did not put a foot wrong on Sunday. The opener expertly negotiated a tricky opening hour of Day One against Railways in Rajasthan's Group ‘D’ fixture at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Stadium, anchoring the innings to reach his second First-Class century with an unbeaten 115 off 221 balls.
The milestone arrived when he deftly pushed a delivery from seamer Adarsh Singh to third man for a sharp single. The moment triggered an ecstatic celebration, a passionate leap into the air, followed by a nod to KL Rahul’s style as he drew a circle on the pitch and firmly stomped his bat right in the centre. Playing in only his fifth First-Class match, the young opener proved exactly why he is highly regarded, striking 15 fours and two sixes.
Alongside Karan Lamba, with whom he stitched a partnership of unbeaten 157, Sachin ensured the day’s honours belonged to the hosts. Rajasthan reached 247/2 when stumps were called nearly an hour early due to a hailstorm.
Karan, a centurion in the previous match, picked up right where he left off and looked well on his way to another hundred, sitting unbeaten on 89 (122) with nine fours and two sixes.
Sachin considers the ground his fortress. “I consider SMS Stadium as my fortress because I made my debut here and a lot of my good knocks have come here. That is why I did that particular celebration which I took from KL Rahul’s books to communicate that this is my place,” he said after the day’s play.
The left-hander focused on playing session by session. “The overcast conditions gave the bowlers some initial movement. My strategy was just to bide my time instead of rushing into things,” he said.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Rajasthan received an early reprieve when opener Rohan Rajbhar was dropped off Adarsh Singh in the third over. However, he failed to capitalise on the lifeline, scoring 11 off 34 balls before seamer Kunal Yadav induced a catch to mid-off in the 13th over.
One-down batter Sumit Godara’s brief stay was highlighted by two sixes off spinner Toufik Mondal. Looking to build on his 49 against Tamil Nadu, he hit 25 off 47 balls before being trapped lbw by Railways skipper Bhargav Merai just 15 minutes before lunch.
Throughout the day, Sachin remained a calming presence at the crease. The 22-year-old holds a promising pedigree, having scored a magnificent 130 against Delhi and a 92 on debut last season against Mumbai. Supported by Lamba, who survived a late slip drop off Zubair Ali on 7, the duo guided the hosts safely through to the forced stoppage.
“Tomorrow we will look to negotiate the first hour and hopefully we will again dominate the opponents,” Sachin added.
The milestone arrived when he deftly pushed a delivery from seamer Adarsh Singh to third man for a sharp single. The moment triggered an ecstatic celebration, a passionate leap into the air, followed by a nod to KL Rahul’s style as he drew a circle on the pitch and firmly stomped his bat right in the centre. Playing in only his fifth First-Class match, the young opener proved exactly why he is highly regarded, striking 15 fours and two sixes.
Alongside Karan Lamba, with whom he stitched a partnership of unbeaten 157, Sachin ensured the day’s honours belonged to the hosts. Rajasthan reached 247/2 when stumps were called nearly an hour early due to a hailstorm.
Karan, a centurion in the previous match, picked up right where he left off and looked well on his way to another hundred, sitting unbeaten on 89 (122) with nine fours and two sixes.
Sachin considers the ground his fortress. “I consider SMS Stadium as my fortress because I made my debut here and a lot of my good knocks have come here. That is why I did that particular celebration which I took from KL Rahul’s books to communicate that this is my place,” he said after the day’s play.
The left-hander focused on playing session by session. “The overcast conditions gave the bowlers some initial movement. My strategy was just to bide my time instead of rushing into things,” he said.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, Rajasthan received an early reprieve when opener Rohan Rajbhar was dropped off Adarsh Singh in the third over. However, he failed to capitalise on the lifeline, scoring 11 off 34 balls before seamer Kunal Yadav induced a catch to mid-off in the 13th over.
One-down batter Sumit Godara’s brief stay was highlighted by two sixes off spinner Toufik Mondal. Looking to build on his 49 against Tamil Nadu, he hit 25 off 47 balls before being trapped lbw by Railways skipper Bhargav Merai just 15 minutes before lunch.
Throughout the day, Sachin remained a calming presence at the crease. The 22-year-old holds a promising pedigree, having scored a magnificent 130 against Delhi and a 92 on debut last season against Mumbai. Supported by Lamba, who survived a late slip drop off Zubair Ali on 7, the duo guided the hosts safely through to the forced stoppage.
“Tomorrow we will look to negotiate the first hour and hopefully we will again dominate the opponents,” Sachin added.
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