Mumbai: Wicket-keeper Aditya Tare slammed a blazing, unbeaten hundred to put champions Mumbai in total command against minnows Vidarbha in their Group A Ranji Trophy encounter at the Wankhede Stadium here today.
The hosts, after being restricted for a modest first innings total of 261, hit back strongly to bundle out their Maharashtra state rivals for a paltry 113 in just 41.3 overs and then rattled up 179 for one in the second essay to hold a commanding lead of 327 overall with two days left in the game.
Tare, who opened instead of first innings centurion Wasim Jaffer, was unbeaten with a power-packed 110 in which he carted South Africa-bound pacer Umesh Yadav for two successive sixes, the second of which helped him reach his hundred. In all, Tare hit 13 fours and three sixes while facing 114 balls.
Another South Africa-bound batsman Ajinkya Rahane made up for his first innings failure by remaining unconquered on 62.
The two batsmen added 133 runs in just 26 overs to demoralise the Vidarbha attack which sorely missed their best bowler Sandeep Singh who limped off the field after suffering a foot injury when trying to stop a ball.
In the morning, Vidarbha wrapped up the Mumbai first innings quickly after the hosts resumed at overnight 254 for 8. Jaffer was last out for 139, after adding six runs.
Vidarbha replied in a sorry fashion and were tottering at 72 for 8 against the hosts' three-pronged pace attack of Zaheer Khan, Shardul Thakur and Akbar Khan, who shared seven wickets before recovering to get past the 100 mark.
Barring opener Faiz Fazal (22) and Rashmi Ranjan Parida (34 not out), the rest were packed off in a jiffy with Zaheer, included for the two-Test series in South Africa, bagging the wickets of Shalabh Srivastava and Hemang Badani in the same over to finish with two for 30.
Akbar Khan got two for 28 in his debut while Thakur secured three for 40. The other three wickets fell to Abhishek Nayar, Akshay Dabholkar and part-timer Kaustubh Pawar.
Brief scores: Mumbai 261 (W Jaffer 139; Sandeep Singh 4 for 35, Ravi Jangid 3 for 48) and 179 for 1 (A Tare 110 not out, A Rahane 62 not out). Vidarbha 113 (R R Parida 34 not out; S Thakur 3/40, Zaheer 2/30, Akbar Khan 2/28).
UP skittles out Rajasthan for 185
UP skittles out Rajasthan for 185
Jaipur: Pacer Amit Mishra snared seven wickets as Uttar Pradesh bundled out Rajasthan for 185 before being precariously poised at 46 for two in their second innings on a rollercoaster second day of the Group B Ranji Trophy encounter here today.
Rajasthan, who had lost a wicket without a run on the board overnight, collapsed miserably in response to UP's first innings total of 226.
The 22-year-old Mishra was the star of the show for the visitors with seven wickets off his 22 overs, which cost merely 59 runs.
Siddharth Saraf was the lone Rajasthan batsman to battle it out with a 191-ball 56, which included 10 hits to the fence.
Skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar (38) and Ramesh Powar (32) were the only other batsmen to make any noteworthy contribution to the scorecard.
In response, UP didn't start too well either as openers Mukul Dagar (14) and Tanmay Srivastava (10) departed early.
Skipper Mohammed Kaif (4) and Prashant Gupta (15) were holding fort for the visitors when stumps were drawn for the day.
For Rajasthan, Pankaj Singh and Deepak Chahar picked up one wicket apiece.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan 1st Innings: 185 all out
Uttar Pradsesh: 226 and 46/2 in 12 overs.
Lahiri ton takes Bengal to 431; Services are 39/0 on Day II
Lahiri ton takes Bengal to 431; Services are 39/0 on Day II
New Delhi: All-rounder Sourashis Lahiri scored his second first-class century as Bengal scored a healthy 431 in their first innings against Services in a Ranji Trophy group B encounter at the Airforce ground in Palam today.
Courtesy Lahiri's well-made 108 off 212 balls and overnight centurion Arindam Das's 164 helped Bengal reached 431 in 166.2 overs.
For the Services, their off-spinner T Koteshwar Rao bowled a marathon spell grabbing four for 123 in 49 overs.
Left-arm spinner Rahul Kanojia bowled 39.2 overs and took two for 91.
At stumps, Services reached 39 for no loss in 11 overs with Pratik Desai batting on 24 and Anshul Gupta undefeated on 15. Services need another 393 runs in 180 overs (two days) to get three points from this match.
Lahiri, who was not out on three overnight gave a good account of himself as he looked confident from the onset while Arindam also looked in good touch at the other end.
The duo added 55 runs for the fourth wicket in the first hour as Arindam brought his third score of 150 plus in his 12-year career for Bengal.
The only rash shot that Arindam played during his 306 ball innings was an edge that flew over second slip for a boundary.
It was Rao who breached through Das's defence as he was bowled for 164. He faced 306 balls hitting 14 boundaries and a six. Lahiri however carried on confidently at the other end. He drove beautifully mainly through the cover region and also kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and doubles.
Anustup Majumdar (8) tried to play a cut shot off Rao and was caught by wicketkeeper Nakul Verma.
Playing his 100th Ranji Trophy match, skipper Shukla (28) looked confident from the start as he first hit an inside out cover drive off left-arm spinner Rahul Kanojia and the hoisted Rao for a six over long on. He added 55 runs with Lahiri for the sixth wicket.Shukla however was dismissed when he tried to pull a Suraj Yadav bouncer which was taken by Verma behind stumps.
Sandipan Das (9) was bowled by Kanojia and never looked comfortable during his stay.
Lahiri got a reprieve on 96 when he tried to hit Rao for a six but Kanojia at deep mid-wicket boundary missed an easy catch.
Lahiri finally completed his century off Kanojia's delivery that he pushed for a single.
He was the eighth man dismissed trying to clear the boundary ropes being caught by Yadav after hitting 10 boundaries.
"This is a better effort than my previous century against Saurashtra at Rajkot. There I had Manoj Tiwary as my partner but here it was a big responsibility of putting up a decent total on board," Lahiri said after the end of the day's play.
Asked about how difficult it was for the bowlers, the offie said,"It is pretty difficult to get a batsman out on this track. It is indeed a hard work for bowlers. As far as my assessment is concerned, a total of 431 is good enough if we bowl well on this low and slow track.
"I don't think another 50 runs would have made a difference. If we can't defend 431, we might not defend 500 just like it happened against Assam a few seasons back," Lahiri concluded.
Brief Scores: Bengal 1st Innings 431 in 166.2 overs (Arindam Das 164, Sourashish Lahiri 108, Rohan Banerjee 42, T Koteshwar Rao 4/123).
Services 1st Innings: 39/0 (Pratik Desai 24 batting, Anshul Gupta 15 batting).
TN in strong position after Mukund's double ton
TN in strong position after Mukund's double ton
Chennai: Abhinav Mukund notched up a monumental double century while Dinesh Karthik struck a ton as Tamil Nadu declared after piling up a mammoth 565/8 in their Group B Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra here today.
At stumps on the second day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Saurashtra, in reply to the hosts' massive first-innings total, were struggling at 12 for one.
Resuming on overnight 103, the 23-year-old Mukund went on to score 240 after facing 437 balls. He found the fence 20 times and cleared it once.
Karthik made 133 off 192 balls, hitting 14 boundaries and a six.
After Tamil Nadu started at an overnight 268/2, the duo of Mukund and Karthik shared 240 runs for the fourth wicket to pile on the agony for Saurashtra.
Overnight batsman Baba Aparajith got out immediately after reaching his half-century, falling to seamer Jaydev Unadkat, who finished with figures of four for 99 in 31.4 overs.
Mukund was bowled by Kamlesh Makvana after his monumental effort while skipper Karthik was one of Unadkat's four victims.
When the stumps were drawn for the day, Bhushan Chauhan (3) and India player Cheteshwar Pujara (8) were at the crease for Saurashtra. They have already lost opener Sagar Jogiyani.
Brief scores:
Tamil Nadu 1st innings: 565 for eight declared in 158.2 overs (Mukund 240, Karthik 133; Unadkat 4/99) vs Saurashtra eight for no loss.
Kerala bounces back against J&K
Kerala bounce back against J&K
Jammu: Kerala staged a comeback in their Ranji Trophy encounter against Jammu and Kashmir by dismissing the hosts for 377 before being comfortably placed at 184 for two in their first innings on the second day of their Group C match here today.
From overnight 312 for four, J&K crumbled to 377 all out with Prasanth Parameswaram and Sandeep warriors picking up four wickets apiece.
In reply, Kerala were on firm footing having lost just two wicket so far. VA Jagadeesh looked set for a hundred as he ended the day at 84 not out, which came off 175 balls and included 12 boundaries.
Giving him company at close of play was Rohan Prem, who was on 42 off 112 balls, including seven hits to the fence.
Brief Scores:
Jammu and Kashmir 1st Innings: 377 all out
Kerala 1st Innings: 184 for 2 in 61 overs (V A Jagadeesh 84 batting, Rohan Prem 42 batting).
Gujarat in command after bowling out Jharkhand for 289
Gujarat in command after bowling out Jharkhand for 289
Jamshedpur: Skipper Parthiv Patel is set for another big knock as his unbeaten 75 and a 145-run third wicket partnership with Samit Gohil enabled Gujarat reach 168 for two in reply to Jharkhand's modest first innings score of 289.
At stumps, Gohil was batting on 66 with the help of 10 boundaries while Patel was on 75 studded with eight fours.
Earlier, resuming at overnight score of 194 for five, host Jharkhand suffered early jolt as they lost Pappu Singh for a duck in the third over of the day.
Jharkhand captain Shahbaz Nadeem, who joined overnight batsman Saurabh Tiwary, played a swashbuckling knock notching up 24-ball 34 runs studded with seven hits to ropes before he returned a simple catch in the follow through to the medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Tiwary followed the suit soon at the total score of 244 as he was dismissed for 91 off 239 balls with seven fours and a six.
Sunny Gupta chipped in with 26 runs that included two fours while Rahul Shukla remained uneaten on 16. Syed Quadri contributed eight runs.
For Gujarat, Bumrah emerged as the highest wicket-taker scalping five for 79 runs followed by spinner Akshar Patel, who bagged two for 58.
In reply, Gujarat started off on a disastrous note as left-arm spinner Nadeem struck the first blow having opener Priyank Panchal (5) caught at slip off Rameez Nimat in the sixth over.
Bhargav Patel, who stepped in following Panchal's dismissal, opened on confident note but too returned cheaply as he was run out off an accurate throw from Rahul Shukla.
As Gujarat score was reading 23 for two in ten overs, skipper Patel joined Gohil and they together stitched an unbeaten partnership of 145 runs.
While Gohil faced 184 ball and hit up ten boundaries to 66 at sumps, Patel's knock of unbeaten 75 included eight fours off 126 deliveries.
Brief Scores: Jharkhand 1st Innings 289 in 120.5 overs (Saurabh Tiwary 91, Jasprit Bumrah 5/79)
Gujarat 168/2 in 57 overs (Parthiv Patel 75 batting, Samit Gohil 66 batting).
Goa takes 78-run 1st innings lead over Tripura
Goa takes 78-run 1st innings lead over Tripura
Porvorim (Goa): Riding on a disciplined bowling display, Goa bundled out Tripura for a paltry 174 and took vital 78-run first innings lead in a Group C Ranji Trophy match, here today.
The hosts, resuming their overnight first innings at 231/8, added 23 runs before being all out for 252 at the Academy Ground here. At stumps, Goa were 8 for no loss in their second essay.
Medium pacer Rana Dutta was the pick of Tripura bowlers, claiming five wickets. He was well supported by Sanjay Majumder and M B Mura Singh, who took three and two wickets, respectively. In reply, Tripura batsmen failed against a disciplined bowling effort by the Goans and were all out for 174 in 68.3 overs thereby conceding 78-run first innings lead. Tripura's wickets fell at regular intervals with only Syed Abbas Ali (60) putting up a resolute fight for the tourists. For Goa, Harshad Gadekar, Shadab Jakati and Amit Yadav claimed three wickets each, while Buddhadev Mangaldas took one.
Brief Score: Goa 1st Innings 252 (Amogh Desai 102, Swapnil Asnodkar 75, Rana Dutta 5/55) & 8 for no loss.
Tripura 1st Innings 174 (S Abbas Ali 60, Harshad Gadekar 3/28).
Pathan slams ton as Baroda eye win
Pathan slams ton as Baroda eye win
Vadodara: Out-of-favour India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan slammed a counter-attacking 101-ball 104 as Baroda closed in a on win over Madhya Pradesh in a Group B Ranji Trophy match dominated by bowlers, who have already taken 35 wickets in just two days.
Pathan tore apart the MP bowling attack, smashing six fours and five sixes during his 154-minute stay at the crease, even as the others fell cheaply. In the end, the right-handed batsman was unbeaten as Baroda's second innings came to an end at 244, setting up a stiff target of over 300 runs on a difficult pitch.
At stumps on the second day, the visitors were struggling at 58/5, still needing another 279 runs for an unlikely win at the Moti Bagh Stadium. Rameez Khan (15) and Shubham Sharma, yet to open his account, were at the crease.
Earlier, a day after a frenetic first day's play that 20 wickets fall, Pathan, in the company of tail-enders, scored useful runs to put his team in the driving seat.
He added 72 runs for the 10th wicket with Munaf Patel (17) and 43 for the ninth wicket with Bhargav Bhatt (19) to prop up the hosts.
After picking six wickets in the first innings, Madhya Pradesh opener cum off-break bowler, Jalaj Saxena, picked up seven today for his best innings and match figures in first-class cricket.
Brief scores:
Baroda 152 and 244 (Yusuf Pathan not out 104; Jalaj Saxena 7/82) vs Madhya Pradesh 60 and 58/5 (Bhargav Bhatt 3/25).
Match poised for an exciting finish as Haryana lead by 96 runs
Match poised for an exciting finish as Haryana lead by 96 runs
Lahli: Punjab got a slender first-innings lead of 21 runs and then reduced Haryana to 117 for five in their second innings in an exciting fifth round Ranji Trophy encounter being played at the Bansi Lal Stadium here today.
Haryana now have an overall lead of 96 runs with five wickets in hand as two days are still left and an outright result looks inevitable.
Starting the day 50 for three, Punjab scored 184 in their first innings largely due to 86-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Gurkeerat Singh (51, 48 balls, 8x4) and Mayank Sidhana (43, 91 balls, 7x4).
The duo came together when Punjab were tottering at 88 for six with Harshal Patel (4/60) and left-arm seamer Sanjay Badhwar (4/46) running through the top-order.
While Gurkeerat went after the bowlers, Sidhana held one end up as they crossed Haryana's first innings score of 163.
But they lost the last four wickets for only 10 runs and lead was only of 21 runs.
In the second innings, Punjab medium pacer Sandeep Sharma (3/26) again rocked the Haryana top-order as they were reduced to 86 for five before Sachin Rana (21 batting) and Amit Mishra (13 batting) added 31 runs for the unbroken sixth wicket stand.
Meanwhile, Harbhajan Singh, who has sustained a shoulder injury in Punjab's previous match against Gujarat will be out of action for 14 days.
Brief Scores: Haryana 163 & 117/5 (Avi Barot 31, Sachin rana 25 batting, Sandeep Sharma 3/26).
Punjab 184 (Gurkeerat Singh 51, Mayank Sidhana 43, Harshal patel 4/46, Sanjay Badhwar 4/46). Haryana lead by 96 runs.
HP on verge of big innings victory vs Assam
HP on verge of big innings victory vs Assam
Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh are closing in on a big innings victory over Assam having reduced the visitors to 97 for six in the second innings having bowled them out for 81 in the first essay.
HP scored 463 fpr nine declared in their innings with an unbeaten 102 from Bipul Sharma while Nikhil Gangta (99) was unlucky to miss out on a ton. Rishi Dhawan's prolific Ranji season continued as he scored 58 after his five-wicket haul in the first innings.
Having taken a mammoth first innings lead of 372, HP's new ball bowlers Dhawan (2/42) and Vikramjeet Malik (2/15) again rocked Assam. Veteran Dheeraj Jadhav (22 batting) and J Syed Mohammed (37) added 47 runs for the fifth wicket after Assam were reduced to 30 for four.
It's been a good start to the Ranji season for Dhawan who has so far scored 311 runs with four 50's and is on top of wicket-taker's list with 36 scalps.
Brief Scores: Assam 81 & 97/6 (J Syed Mohammed 37, Vikramjit Mailk 2/15, Rishi Dhawan 2/42)
HP 463/9 decl (Bipul Sharma 102, Nikhil Gangta 99, Rishi Dhawan 58). Assam trail by 285 runs with 4 wkts in hand.
Pandey hits a ton as Karnataka 60-run 1st innings lead
Pandey hits a ton as Karnataka 60-run 1st innings lead
Cuttack: Manish Pandey (108 batting) scored his 11th first class ton in order to ensure a first innings lead as Karnataka were comfortably placed at 288 for four at stumps on the second of their Ranji Trophy group league encounter against Odisha here today.
Karnataka now have a 60-run lead with six wickets in hand after they bowled out Odisha for 228.
Openers Robin Uthappa (33) and Mayank Aggarwal (23) got out after getting set but Pandey in company of the dogged Lokesh Rahul (67, 144 balls, 11x4) added 114 runs for the third wicket.
Pandey's unbeaten knock came off 198 balls with 13 fours and two sixes. Rahul was finally dismissed when he edged one to wicketkeeper Subhrajit Sahoo off Biplab Samantray's bowling.
Pandey however continued as he added another 71 runs with Kunl Kapoor (25), who was run-out after Karnataka got the lead.
At stumps, CM Gautham (11 batting) was giving Pandey company as the visitors looked to build on this solid foundation.
For Odisha, Basant Mohanty, Deepak Behera and Samantray got a wicket apiece.
Brief Scores: Odisha 1st Innings 228.
Karnataka 1st Innings 288/4(Manish Pandey 108 batting, KL Rahul 67, Kunal Kapoor 25). Karnataka are 60 runs ahead.
Jadhav's 97 in Maharashtra's positive reply
Jadhav's 97 in Maharashtra's positive reply
Cuddapah: Kedar Jadhav led the way with an unbeaten 97 as Maharashtra made a strong reply to be well- placed at 196/3 in their Group C Ranji Trophy match against Andhra here today.
Resuming at an overnight 232/3, Andhra somewaht lost the plot to be bowled out for 317 in their first innings at the YS Raja Reddy Stadium.
Dominic Joseph and Anupam Sanklecha picked up three wickets each for the visitors.
In reply, Maharashtra looked positive despite losing two wickets early. Vijay Zol made 73 off 137 balls with the 12 fours while Jadhav hit 14 fours and a six.
At stumps on the second day, Maharashtra trailed Andhra by 121 runs with seven wickets remaining.
