SEAMERS Nachiket Bhute and Kushal Kakad hammered a century each as they lifted Ministerial Services Sports Club (MSSC) from a precarious 131 for 7 to 409 all out against Indian Gymkhana on the first day of the Guzder A Division final at VCA’s Civil Lines ground on Friday. At stumps, Indian Gymkhana were 4 for no loss, still trailing by 405 runs, in the two-day match.

 

The day belonged to Bhute (137) and Kakad (118) who came in the middle in the afternoon with more than half of their side back in the hut. The two put up 272 runs for the eighth wicket which pulled the match away from Indian Gymkhana’s vice-like grip. MSSC were in all sorts of trouble with their top and middle order falling like nine-pins. Opener Gaurav Nikam (27), wicketkeeper-batter Shivam Deshmukh (25), Aniket Pande (31) and Mandar Mahale (34) all got starts but could not convert them.

 

At 131 for seven, Bhute and Kakad took the centrestage and started the repair job. They batted withresponsibilityand graduallypulled theirside out fromthe rut. Bhute hit138-ball 137which hadeight boundaries and as many sixes whileKakad made 118 from 142 deliveries hitting 11 balls to thefence and three over it. Indian Gymkhana’s JagjotSasan was the pick of thebowlers with a five-wicket haul(6-101) but his fine spell wasundone by the two MSCC centurions. Rajneesh Gurbahi tooktwo wickets while DeveshCharote and R Sanjay took oneeach.