Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS): In Uttar Pradesh’s ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium, captain Nitish Rana scored his seventh first-class century, when he slammed 106 off 120 balls and enabled his team to take a first-innings lead of 126 runs.

After getting to his century in 105 balls, Rana, who played one ODI and two T20Is for India in 2021, had brought out a unique celebration of cleaning up his bat, with many wondering that the left-handed batter had taken an indirect dig at his former domestic side Delhi, who he left for Uttar Pradesh in the current domestic season.

Now, Rana has said that the celebration on reaching the century was just a mere reflection of his journey into getting back his groove in red-ball cricket. “Amidst all the speculations and controversies surrounding me, DDCA, and UPCA, I want to clarify that I harbor no beef or hatred towards my brothers and teammates.”

“DDCA holds a special place for me, shaping my career. The cryptic messages are baseless, and my celebration simply reflects the journey back to form in red ball. I remain the same and here to stay. Period,” he said in a statement sent to IANS.

Rana’s immediate task will now be to help Uttar Pradesh chase down 195 on day four of their Ranji Trophy game against Mumbai. On day three, India all-rounder Shivam Dube made a counter-attacking 117 off 130 balls for Mumbai to make 320 in their second innings after being shot out for 198 in first innings.