Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane narrowly missed out on centuries in their respective Ranji Trophy final group-stage matches on Friday.

Pujara fell agonisingly short, dismissed for 99 against Assam, just one run shy of his 67th First-Class hundred.

Rahane, meanwhile, departed for 96 against Meghalaya, having resumed the day on 83. The knock was a welcome return to form for Rahane, marking his maiden half-century of the season.

Both Pujara and Rahane played crucial innings for their teams, Saurashtra and Mumbai, who are both in must-win situations to secure a knockout berth. Pujara’s innings was particularly timely, given his lean season so far, which had yielded just one notable score – 234 against Chhattisgarh.