(114; 13×4, 1×6) and one-drop Musheer Khan (109; 12×4, 1×6) put the hosts in command against Haryana, guiding them to 290-3 at stumps on Day One of their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match at the MCA-BKC ground on Monday.
Skipper Siddhesh Lad (29) and Sarfaraz Khan (21) were at the crease.
Asked to bat, Mumbai lost opener Divyaansh Saxena (10) early after pacer Aman Kumar (1-40) trapped him leg-before in the third over. However, Raghuvanshi, 22, and Musheer, 21, steadied the innings with a commanding 208-run second-wicket partnership.
Playing his sixth first-class match, Raghuvanshi showcased a range of strokes, including drives, pulls and sweeps. He reached his half-century with a late cut for four off left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu before celebrating his maiden Ranji century with a couple off off-spinner Kanishk Chouhan. He also stepped out to smash Sindhu over long-on for six.
Musheer, playing his 21st first-class match, batted patiently during his nearly five-hour stay at the crease. His fluent strokeplay included cover drives, on-drives and sweeps, while a slog-swept six over mid-wicket off Chouhan stood out. He brought up his fifth first-class century with a single off Chouhan.
Raghuvanshi, who represents in the Indian Premier League, described his maiden Ranji century as a “special,” while admitted that he had begun doubting his red-ball abilities after losing his place in the Mumbai side.
“I made my debut three years back. I fell for 92 [against Odisha in 2024] and eventually lost my place. I know how tough it is to play for Mumbai. Almost all India players play here, so those thoughts started creeping in, whether I would get it [maiden century] or no. I started doubting myself. It’s a very natural thing,” Raghuvanshi said after the day’s play.
The youngster recently struck back-to-back double centuries, scoring 203 for Rest of India U-23 against Tamil Nadu and 201 for Mumbai U-23 against Bengal U-23. He returned to the Mumbai Ranji team after regular opener Ayush Mhatre injured his hamstring in the season opener against Chandigarh.
Raghuvanshi credited , who is also a former Mumbai captain and ex-India assistant coach, for helping him change his mindset.
“I was making it a huge thing in my head that maybe I don’t have the skills to play red-ball cricket. But he told me, ‘At the end of the day, it’s cricket.’ My job is to score runs. He asked me to just go out there and not worry about what is going to happen,” Raghuvanshi added.