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Rahul Dravid reminded the national selectors of his immense value with a double century that ensured Karnataka an honourable draw and a point against holders Mumbai in their Elite Division Group A Ranji Trophy in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The former India skipper, dropped for the first two One-Day Internationals against Pakistan in the ongoing rubber, was determination personified as he scored 214 after a stay of 437 minutes in Karnakata's second innings score of 397 for 6 declared.
Mumbai were thus set a target of 256 for an outright victory.
Set to bat for 32 overs, the scored 70 for two wickets in 17 overs before play was called off by mutual consent.
The hosts picked three points for taking a first innings lead of 142, having replied with 337 to Karnataka's modest opening essay of 195.
Dravid, who carted his first innings nemesis Ramesh Powar for four sixes in his 330-ball knock, finally fell trying to hit young left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla for a second six over long on and was caught just inside the boundary by Ajinkya Rahane.
It was also the 34-year-old Dravid's 50th first class three-figure knock, including in Tests.
The Bangalore stalwart, overnight 77 in a score of 195 for one, struck 21 fours and five sixes. He added 158 runs for the second wicket with opener K B Pawan, who batted his way sedately to 80 in nearly six hours.
The duo's stand and then Dravid's partnership of 100 with Thilak Naidu for the fourth wicket ensured Karnataka will not lose the match outright.
The focus was entirely on Dravid when play resumed on the fourth and last day of the match at the Wankhede Stadium and he did not disappoint the sparse crowd.
He first raced to his 100 in 35 balls on the fourth morning, reaching three figures in 213 balls and 260 minutes with the help of 14 fours and two sixes.
Dravid then started opening out and showed he had a lot of time to play off spinner Powar, who had him caught in the leg trap for 40 in the first innings.
'The Wall' either stepped out to counter the spin or at times leaned back to easily cut the spinner for fours from even the middle stump.
Powar was smacked over long on for his third six, the first two having been notched on Day 3, and then after lunch -- taken when Karnataka were 317 for four – he again danced down the track to hoist the stocky bowler over the same area for another six.
After lofting Abdulla over long on for his fifth six, Dravid got lucky when Abhishek Nair failed to latch on to an easy return catch off a slower ball when he was on 191.
After escaping a run-out chance soon afterwards, Dravid reached his double hundred with a swept four off Abdulla before holing out in the deep to the left arm spinner, who picked up three wickets.
Karnataka lost Bhalchandra Akhil a little later and then applied the declaration 25 minutes before tea.
Mumbai lost openers Sahil Kukreja and Wasim Jaffer in the second innings before stumps were drawn for the last time.
Scorecard
Karnataka (1st innings): 195
Mumbai (1st innings): 337
Karnataka (2nd innings) (Overnight 195-1)
B Rowland b Verma 40
K B Pawan c Samant b Nair 80
R Dravid c Rahane b Abdulla 214
C Raghu c Samant b Powar 13
Yere Gaud c Nair b Abdulla 1
Thilak Naidu not out 34
B Akhil st Samant b Abdulla 1
S Joshi not out 0
Extras: (nb 5, lb 1, nb 5, wb 3) 14
Total: (for 5 wkts, in 135 overs) 397
Fall of wickets: 1-69, 2-227, 3-281, 4-290, 5-390, 6-396
Bowling: Agarkar 16-3-50-0, Verma 18-4-49-1, Nair 25-4-84-1, Powar 33-4-122-1, Abdulla 38-11-73-3, Rahane 1-0-1-0, Naik 4-0-12-0.
Mumbai (2nd innings):
S Kukreja lbw Vinay Kumar 23
W Jaffer b Vinay Kumar 17
A Rahane not out 22
A Muzumdar not out 4
Extras: (nb 3, wb 1) 4
Total: (for 2 wkts, in 17 overs) 70
Fall of wickets: 1-37, 2-46.
Bowling: Vinay Kumar 7-3-20-2, Aiyappa 4-0-25-0, Kumble 6-0-25-0.