Hooda sizzles with unbeaten 105 as Raj set to take lead

Jaipur: It was tough going for Rajasthan with the bat and they needed someone who could show the way against a disciplined Pondicherry bowling line-up on Day Two. In Deepak Hooda, their captain, they found the anchor who led them from the front with an unbeaten 105 off 171 balls to guide his team to 234/6 in 74 overs in an Elite Group B fixture of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Saturday.
Laced with 12 fours, this was Hooda's third century for Rajasthan in nine games and 12th overall.
At stumps, Rajasthan were trailing by 14 runs with Manav Suthar at the other end.
Resuming the day at an overnight score of 237/9, Pondicherry added 11 more runs while Ajay Rohera ran out of partners and had to miss out on his century by six runs. It was Deepak Chahar who clean bowled Abin Mathew, Pondicherry's 10th wicket.
Coming out to bat, openers Abhijeet Tomar and Yash Kothari gave Rajasthan a fine start, but eventually succumbed after chipping in with 13 off 16 balls and 33 off 58, respectively. At 66/2 in 20 overs, Hooda entered. While batsmen at the other end kept changing rather quickly, the 27-year-old did not yield to the pressure situation.
What stood out in the way he achieved the three-digit mark was the skipper's backfoot shots and the ones played off the pads along with his exceptional running between the wickets to ensure the scoreboard kept ticking.
Sensing his teammates' apparent struggle on a wicket where an odd ball was keeping low, experienced Hooda ensured to keep the strike as much as possible.
Pondicherry spinners were at the forefront of taking the wickets. Off-spinner Fabid Ahmed and left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma took two wickets each while another left-arm spinner Sagar Udeshi and medium-pacer Gaurav Yadav bagged a wicket apiece.
First hour on Day 3 will be crucial: Reflecting on the day's play, Pondicherry's new head coach Anand Rajan said that the first hour on Day Three will be crucial.
"The way we were going while batting at 145/2 on the first day, we were thinking of scoring 350 plus, and suddenly our middle-order collapsed. But the kind of bowling attack we have can help us defend the score. One wicket in the morning will make a difference and will bring tailenders at the crease," said Rajan.
Talking about the pitch, the Pondicherry coach said, "We thought that the pitch might turn a bit, but it hasn't."