New Delhi: Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir's dogged insistence of playing on a seaming track was vindicated once again as the hosts bowled out Punjab for just 74 runs in on a fog-hit first day of the Ranji Trophy group A encounter here today.
At stumps, Delhi were 46 for two with Unmukt Chand batting on 21 and veteran Mithun Manhas on six on a day when only 42.4 overs of play was possible at the Roshanara Club ground.
Delhi skipper Gambhir won the toss and put Punjab into bat as the slide started from the third over itself as Ashish Nehra again showed that he is force to reckon with in overcast conditions and the pitch having a lot of juice in it.
The pitch and the conditions once again proved that domestic batsmen are inept when it comes to slogging it out in trying conditions.
Yuvraj Singh (0) might have got a debatable leg before decision when he had plonked his front-foot forward by a fair distance but most of the other batsmen looked incapable of handling the controlled seam bowling from Nehra.
Nehra grabbed four for 31 while Parvinder Awana (3/20) and Rajat Bhatia (2/4) produced wickets at regular intervals to reduce Punjab to 35 for nine at one stage. It was Manpreet Gony who used his long handle to a good effect smashing 29 off 24 balls with five boundaries as Punjab managed to cross 50 in the end.
Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh (Sr) admitted that his batsmen played poorly.
"We always knew what the conditions were and we can't give any excuses for scoring 74 runs. It's not acceptable whether you are playing for Punjab or any other team. But we still have hope that we can make a comeback otherwise there would be no point in the contest," the former swing bowler said.
It was Sumit Narwal, who started the slide by inducing an edge off Jiwanjot Singh (4)'s bat that was taken by Vaibhav Rawal in the slip cordon. Nehra then got into the act as Uday Kaul (2) nicked one to Rahul Yadav behind stumps.
Sandeep Sharma, who normally bats at No 11 for his state side was sent at No 4 ahead of Yuvraj but he was taken at mid-on by Awana off Rajat Babita's bowling. Two balls later, Yuvraj tried playing a forward defensive prod and umpire adjudged him leg before. The batsman was unhappy as he showed that the ball has hit his bat before leaving.
At 16 for four, Punjab were in trouble before Manan Vohra (16), who looked solid played a pull-shot which went up and bowler Awana took the catch. It became 32 for six when keeper Yadav took a brilliant diving catch off Awana to remove Gurkeerat Singh (0).
Nehra was on a hat-trick when he cleaned up Mandeep Singh (11) and Jaskaran Singh (0) off successive deliveries but Siddharth Kaul averted the hat-trick. Nehra got his fourth victim when Gitansh Khera (1) edged one to give Yadav his third catch.
At 35 for nine, Gony and Kaul put some fight but that certainly won't be enough as Delhi will be aiming for another seven points.
Rahul's 120 help Karnataka fight odds against Mumbai
Rahul's 120 help Karnataka fight odds against Mumbai
Bangalore: Lokesh Rahul gave ample display of his class by cracking an unbeaten 120 as gritty Karnataka recovered from a mini-collapse to reach 228 for seven against Mumbai in their first innings on the opening day of their Group A Ranji Trophy match here today.
The 21-year-old opener notched up his third century of the season to steer the hosts after they were 84-4 in 40.2 overs at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
At stumps, Rahul and Abhimanyu Mithun (7) were at the crease on an eventful opening day which saw good bat and ball contest.
Mumbai dominated the last two sessions, sending back six Karnataka batsmen to pavillion.
Rahul stole the show with his batting prowess as he hit an array of exquisite strokes even as wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals at the other end.Among the batsmen, R Samarth (18), Karun Nair (13), Manish Pandey (1) and CM Gautam (0) were dismissed cheaply.
Rahul, who was lucky to have not given caught behind early in the innings, smashed 16 well-timed boundaries in his 275-ball knock.
His shot selection was admirable as he was right behind the line of good balls but punished the loose balls with aplomb.
Rahul was given vital support by Stuart Binny (38) during their 82-run fifth wicket stand, before the latter was caught by Siddesh Lad off pacer Javed Khan. Binny hit three boundaries and two sixes in his 88-ball enduring knock.
S N Thakur and Vishal Dabholkar bagged two wickets apiece while Javed, S N Netrawalkar and S A Yadav taking one each after Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer opted to field.
Rahul and R Samarth built 38 runs stand for first wicket, before the later was dismissed by debutant Netrawalkar after he gave a catch to Yadav.
Thereafter, Karnataka lost three more wickets for 46 runs, sending jitters into the hosts' camp, before Rahul and Binny bailed them out.
Brief Score:
Karnataka: 228-7 in 91 overs (KL Rahul 120; SN Thakur 2/49).
Parthiv's 109 takes Gujarat to 287-3 against Odisha at stumps
Parthiv's 109 takes Gujarat to 287-3 against Odisha at stumps
Motera: Parthiv Patel cracked his 21st first-class century to power Gujarat to 287 for three in their first innings at stumps against Odisha on the opening day of their Ranji trophy Group A match here today.
Parthiv scored an unbeaten 109 runs in 166 balls with the help of 11 fours. Venugopal Rao (68) and Bhargav Merai (45) were the other top scorers for Gujarat.
For Odisha, Jayanta Behera (2/65) took two wickets, while BB Samantray (1/38) scalped one.
Choosing to bat, Gujarat were given a 54-run partnership upfront by Samit Gohel (27) and Priyank Panchal (31) before the duo departed in successive overs.
Bhargav Merai (45) and Parthiv (109) took over from the openers and added another 84 for the third wicket.
Jayanta Behera gave Odisha the breakthrough, removing Merai to take his second wicket in the 52nd over.
However, Gujarat put together another big unbeaten partnership when Rao joined Parthiv and the duo stitched 141 runs, which carried Gujarat to 287 for three by stumps.
Parthiv and Rao (68) were at the crease at the draw of stumps at the Sardar Patel Stadium.
Brief Score:
Gujarat: 287-3 in 90 overs (Parthiv Patel 109; Jayanta 2/65).
Wakaskar's ton helps Baroda scrore 348 against Saurashtra
Wakaskar's ton helps Baroda scrore 348 against Saurashtra
Rajkot: Opening batsman Saurabh Wakaskar's century and useful contribution from Aditya Waghmode and Dhiren Mistry helped Baroda score 348 runs for five against Saurashtra on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy group 'B' match here today.
Yusuf Pathan was batting on 37 and giving him company was Pinal Shah (2) when stumps were drawn for the day at the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) Stadium, Khandheri here. Baroda captain Yusuf Pathan won the toss and decided to bat first. Openers Saurabh Wakaskar (128) and Dhiren Mistry (45) laid a good foundation by adding 103 runs for the opening wicket before Mistry got out. Left-arm leg-spinner Dharmendra Jadeja gave the hosts the first breakthrough by dismissing Mistry. Kedar Devdhar then returned to the pavilion without opening his account after falling to Kamlesh Makwana.
Aditya Waghmode (94) then joined hands with Wakaskar and the two added 131 runs for the third wicket. Wakaskar made 128, while Waghmode missed a century by six runs. All rounder Irfan Pathan also chipped in with useful 37.
For Saurashtra, Dharmendra Jadeja took two wickets conceding 104 runs, while Chirag Jani, Vishal Joshi and Kamlesh Makwana had a wicket each giving away 31, 67 and 103 runs respectively.
Brief Scores: Baroda 348 for 5 off 90 overs (Saurabh Wakaskar 128, Aditya Waghmode 94, Dhiren Mistry 45, Irfan Pathan 37, Yusuf Pathan batting 32, Dharmendra Jadeja 2-104, Chirag Jani 1-31) against Saurashtra.
Tamil Nadu 231/5 against Rajasthan on day one
Tamil Nadu 231/5 against Rajasthan on day one
Chennai: Rajasthan pacer Pankaj Singh claimed four wickets to wreck havoc on Tamil Nadu top order before Ramaswamy Prasanna (56) and Vijay Shankar (57) played the rescued act as the hosts managed to end the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match at 231 for 5 here today.
Electing to bat, Tamil Nadu started off cautiously but lost opener Arun Karthik (4) in the fifth over with seven runs on board. Pankaj forced Karthik to play in front and the batsman edged the delivery to wicketkeeper Chetan Bist.
Abhinav Mukund, a centurion in their earlier match against Baroda at the same venue, and Subramaniam Badrinath tried to stabilise Tamil Nadu innings. Their approach to avoiding taking risks but going after loose deliveries was paying off and they put on 75 runs for the second wicket.
At this stage, Rajasthan captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar's shrewd move to bring in off-spinner Romesh Powar provided the vital breakthrough on a turning track. Experienced Powar lured the batsmen to go for shots against top-spin bowling.
Powar scalped Mukund LBW as he was tried to play a defensive stroke. Mukund made 26 off 83 balls and put on 75 runs with Badrinath in 24.1 overs.
Then, it was Pankaj Singh, who was bowling dangerously and most often he beat the batsmen. His decision to hit the good length spots resulted in his dismissing two batsmen in the form of Baba Aparajith (8) and Dinesh Karthik (0) in consecutive deliveries.
Pankaj then clean-bowled Badrinath two overs later. Badrinath, who was shaping up well, scored 50 off 102 balls, hitting seven fours.
Prasanna (batting 56 off 133 balls, 8x4), who has in the past bailed out Tamil Nadu, and Vijay Shankar (batting 57 off 130 balls, 8x4), then put on 132 runs in 40.3 overs for the unbroken sixth wicket when the stumps were drawn 11 minutes before schedule close due to bad light.
Brief Scores:
Tamil Nadu: 231 for 5 in 80 overs (S Badrinath 50, Ramaswamy Prasanna batting 56, Vijay Shankar batting 57; Pankaj Singh 4/41).
Ramesh's knock helps Jharkhand weather reverses on 1st day
Ramesh's knock helps Jharkhand weather reverses on 1st day
Jamshedpur: A brilliant knock by in-form opener Rameez Nimat (85) and his 91-run first wicket stand with Bhavik Thaker (23) steered hosts Jharkhand to a decent 233 for five on the opening day of their Group A Ranji tie against Vidarbha, here today.
At close, skipper Shahbaz Nadeem was batting on 37 and giving him copmpnay was Kumar Deobrat (9) at Keenan Stadium.
Elected to bat, Jharkhand suffered an early jolt when opener Subroto Ghosh returned without scoring after adjudged leg before off Shrikant Wagh.
Bhavik Thaker stepped in to partner Nimat, who was playing confidently at the other end, and they together stitched a 91-run first wicket partnership to rescue the team without any further damage.
Thaker, who was settled and facing the rival attack with ease, fell short of the crease while picking up a single and an accurate throw from Akshay Wakhare saw the bails uprooted.
Southpaw Saurabh Tiwary too did not last long as he spooned a catch to Sandip Singh at slip off Wakhare for ten.
Middle-order batsman Ishank Jaggi then paired with Nimat for 67-run for the fourth wicket before Wakhare struck again to have the opener leg before for 85.
Nimat struck nine fours to score 85 off 221-balls.
Jaggi notched up a scintillating 52 studded with five boundaries and two sixes off 98-delivery. He though misread a delivery off Wakhare and sneaked a catch to Singh.
For Vidarbha, Wakhare emerged as the most succeessful bowler, grabbing three wickets for 59 runs.
Vijaykumar scalps four as Tripura reach 165/9 against Andhra
Vijaykumar scalps four as Tripura reach 165/9 against Andhra
Agartala: Medium pacers Paidikalva Vijaykumar and Kakani Harish shared seven wickets between them as Andhra reduced Tripura to 165 for 9 in the first innings on the opening day of their Group C Ranji Trophy match, here today.
Vijaykumar (4/34) scalped four wickets while Harish (3/38) took three. Duvvarapu Shivkumar (1/16) and Garikina Prasad (1/22) too contributed with a wicket apiece after Andhra elected to field.
For Tripura, Tushar Saha remained unbeaten on 53 while Abhijit Dey made a fighting 32.
Asked to take the first strike, Tripura lost both their openers -- Samrat Singha (9) and KB Pawan (5) within 8.3 overs. While Singha was caught by Bodapati Sumanth off Shivkumar, Vijaykumar disturbed the timbers of Pawan.
Vijaykumar produced a brilliant spell of seam bowling to remove Yogesh Takawale for nought in his next over.
Harish removed Manisankar Murasingh (17) and Abbas Ali (8) in quick succession while Vijaykumar snared the wicket of Kaushal Acharjee (8) as the hosts were left reeling at 74 for seven.
Dey and Saha stitched together a crucial 44-run partnership for the eighth wicket to take the team past 100-mark.
Brief scores:
Tripura: 165 for 9 in 63 overs (Tushar Saha 53 batting, Abhijit Dey 32, DP Vijaykumar 4/34, Kakani Harish 3/38).
Surendran, Manoharan hit half-centuriesSurendran, Manoharan hit half-centuries
Porvorim: Opener Nikhilesh Surendran and Vinoop Manoharan struck half-centuries as Kerala were dismissed for 273 against Goa on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match here today.
In reply, Goa were 11 for 0 with Amogh Desai (2 batting) and Swapnil Asnodkar (9 batting) in the middle when stumps were drawn for the day.
Electing to bat after winning the toss, Kerala got off to a poor start as medium pacer Buddhadev Mangaldas sent back opener VA Jagadeesh (2) and Robert Fernandez (6) in quick succession.
Surendran and Rohan Prem stabilised the innings with a 56-run paertnership for the third wicket but Amit Yadav had Prem caught by Sagun Kamat for 20.
Surendran reached his half-century as wickets fell at the other end. He also stitched a crucial 43-run stand for the fourth wicket with skipper Sachin Baby before falling to Hanumant Gadekar for 84.
The opener faced 120 balls in his innings and hit 16 fours.
Next man-in, P Anthaf did not last long and was dismissed by Jakati for 4.
Baby then found an ably ally in Manoharan and both took the team past 200-mark.
The duo put on 96 runs for the sixth-wicket stand as Kerala looked to recover from early jolts.
However, Baby was dismissed by Amogh Desai just after completing his half-century.
It was then left to Manoharan to provide respectability to the score as he waged a lone battle and scored a patient 151-ball 87.
For Goa, Mangaldas and Jakati accounted for three wickets each while Gadekar picked up two wickets.
Brief Scores: Kerala 273 all out in 83 overs (V Manoharan 87, N Surendran 84; Mangaldas 3/66, Shadab Jakati 3/72).
