FORMER Indian Test batsman and Scholes favourite Wasim Jaffer gave the national selectors a big hint when he slammed a magnificent triple century for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals.
The elegant 30-year-old right-hand opener scored 301, which included 27 fours and came from 459 deliveries, during the first semi-final against Saurashtra in Chennai.
Jaffer opened Mumbai’s innings, and after losing his partner Vinayak Samant, he then put on 223 for the second wicket with Ajinkya Rahane, who made 85 of those.
Jaffer continued to prosper, along with his skipper Sachin Tendulkar, as the two men put on 226 for the third wicket before Tendulkar had to retire hurt, having made 122 in the double-century partnership.
The Chapelgate ‘legend’ was finally dismissed, caught and bowled, by left-arm spinner Rakesh Dhurv with the score on 580-4, before Mumbai declared their innings at 637-6.
Jaffer still occupies pride of place in the Drakes League handbook after recording the all-time highest batting average for a season, when he finished the 2005 campaign with an average of 121.79.
And it was he who was largely responsible in Scholes signing the trio of Mirfield Parish Cavalier players for the 2009 season, after he gave the nod to the Chapelgate officials about a close friend and former mentor Iqbal Khan looking to move on.
Jaffer played for Scholes for five seasons over two spells, from 1999 to 2001 and 2004-05. And on three occasions he finished top of the League’s Premiership averages, such was his domination.
In the last couple of years he has struggled to get his place back in the Indian Test side after a run of poor scores, coupled to the emergence of Gautam Gambhir alongside Virender Sehwag, who have very much made the opening slots their own.
