KARACHI, Sept 8: A rollicking 247-run opening partnership between Sahil Kukreja and Ajinkya Rahane gave Mumbai a head start on the first day of the four-day Nissar Trophy match against Karachi Urban at the National Stadium here on Saturday. The Ranji Trophy champions reached stumps at 325 for three after Hasan Raza, leading the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy winners, surprised everyone by opting to field first on what appears to be a flat track after a fair amount of grass was shaven off before the start of play.

None more enjoyed the batting paradise more than the 19-year-old right-hander Rahane who marked his first-class debut with a stroke-filled innings of 143.

Kukreja, the 22-year-old right-handed opener, also completed a century; his 110 being the second first-class hundred of his career. Dominating from the word go, both Rahane and Kukreja scarcely allowed the Karachi Urban bowlers to settle down with some magnificent strokes.

Rahane, however, outscored his partner as he arrived at the coveted three-figure landmark in 148 deliveries with the aid of no less than 20 fours. His most productive areas of scoring were the arc between point and mid-off.

Kukreja, playing second fiddle to his younger partner, reached his century off 168 balls with 15 hits to the fence. He was first to go when he swished at wide delivery from paceman Anwar Ali Khan, but only succeeded in nicking a catch to wicket-keeper Amin-ur-Rehman. In all, he batted for 256 minutes, faced 196 balls and hit 16 fours.

But Rahane continued to hog the limelight once the century was reached. The youngster struck eight more boundaries afterwards before an overambitious attempt to drive through the offside brought about his downfall when medium-pacer Uzair-ul-Haq pitched one in the corridor of uncertainty. Rahane’s outstanding 207-ball knock featured 28 boundaries in a stay of 275 minutes.

The home side got another breakthrough unexpectedly when Mumbai captain Vinayak Mane virtually ran himself out to a direct hit from Khurram Manzoor after making 19.

But the left-handed Hiken Shah and Prashant Naik, one of the five Mumbai players making their first-class debut, survived until the close to ensure a happy day for the tourists. Shah’s 38 include seven fours while Naik has spent exactly an hour for his six runs.

Scoreboard

MUMBAI (1st Innings):

S.O. Kukreja c Amin b Anwar 110

A.M. Rahane c Amin b Uzair 143

V.R. Mane run out 19

H.N. Shah not out 38

P. Naik not out 6

EXTRAS (B-2, LB-4, NB-3) 9

TOTAL (for three wkts, 90 overs) 325

FALL OF WKTS: 1-247, 2-259, 3-285.

TO BAT: V.A. Indulkar, I. Abdulla, A.M. Nayar, O.D. Gurav, V.S. Yeligati, A.M. Salvi.

BOWLING (to-date): Anwar Ali Khan 20-2-68-1 (1nb); Malik Aftab 15-5-43-0; Uzair-ul-Haq 19-2-91-1 (2nb); Azam Hussain 27-5-93-0; Asif Zakir 9-1-24-0.

KARACHI URBAN: Asif Zakir, Khurram Manzoor, Agha Sabir, Asim Kamal, Hasan Raza, Afsar Nawaz, Amin-ur-Rehman, Anwar Ali Khan, Azam Hussain, Malik Aftab, Uzair-ul-Haq.

UMPIRES: Nadeem Ghauri and Salim Badar.

TV UMPIRE: Shakeel Khan.

MATCH REFEREE: Anis Sheikh.