Dharmendrasinh Jadeja left Saurashtra in August, and he ended Ravindra Jadeja’s Ranji hundred in Rajkot

Ravindra Jadeja got to his 16th first-class hundred with a single on the second morning in Rajkot, and he was out in the next over. The man who caught him off his own bowling was Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who had spent 13 years in Saurashtra’s side before leaving for Chhattisgarh in August.

Saurashtra were all out for 392 in their Ranji Trophy opener at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. Jadeja made 102 off 209 balls, with seven fours, and he was the last man out.

A 205-run stand, then six wickets for 36

Jadeja walked in at 120 for 3 on Sunday, in the 41st over, after Jay Gohil and Arpit Vasavada had gone 12 balls apart. Chirag Jani, who made 83, fell at 151. That brought in Prerak Mankad, and the two of them batted through to stumps, with Saurashtra on 308 for 4, Mankad on 92 and Jadeja on 72.

They took the stand to 205 on Monday before Rudra Dehari had Mankad caught for 129, made off 150 balls. Then the lower order folded. Saurashtra went from 356 for 5 to 375 for 9 in seven overs, with Dev Aditya Singh taking three of the four wickets on his way to 6 for 67 from 25 overs. Captain Jaydev Unadkat made 6.

That left Jadeja with Ankur Panwar, the No. 11. The last pair added 17, and Panwar faced two balls of it. Jadeja reached three figures, and Dharmendrasinh took the return catch four balls into the following over.

Dharmendrasinh’s first game against his old side

The two Jadejas are not related, though both bowl left-arm spin and Dharmendrasinh was born in Rajkot. He left Saurashtra on a no-objection certificate before the season. Reports in August said the state association wanted him to concentrate on first-class cricket, and he wanted to keep playing the white-ball competitions as well.

He was part of both of Saurashtra’s Ranji Trophy titles, in 2019-20 and 2022-23, and no bowler has taken more Ranji wickets since the start of the 2017-18 season. His first match for his new side sent him straight back to Rajkot. He finished with 2 for 106 from 25.4 overs: Harvik Desai lbw for 20 on the first morning, and Ravindra Jadeja to end the innings.

Red-ball time before New Zealand

This is Jadeja’s first red-ball cricket since India’s Test series in Sri Lanka in August. He joined Saurashtra after the 2-1 one-day series win over West Indies, in which he played two games and took two wickets.

India have two Tests in New Zealand next month, in Wellington from November 19 and in Christchurch from November 27, and 209 balls in Rajkot is about as much batting as he could have hoped to get in before then. The hundred takes him past 8,500 first-class runs. His highest score is still the 331 he made against Railways in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy, also in Rajkot.

Saurashtra’s bowlers made a quick start of their own. Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya struck with the new ball, and Chirag Jani added a third, so Chhattisgarh were 38 for 3 in the 15th over of their reply.

Follow the rest of the Ranji Trophy here