MP rout Gujarat by 106 runs
Rajkot, Feb 20: Left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh returned a five-wicket haul after Shubham Sharma hit a gritty unbeaten ton as Madhya Pradesh recorded an emphatic 106-run win over Gujarat in their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy game, here on Sunday. Madhya Pradesh had conceded first innings lead to Gujarat but the central team then fought back with gusto, putting 251 in their second essay with Shubham scoring an unbeaten 103. Kartikeya Singh (5/34) then spun the web around the Gujarat batters, as the team was shot out for a meagre 88 in their second essay in just 37.5 overs. Gujarat chased a 195-run target for an outright win but none of their batters could make a substantial contribution as they made a beeline to the changing room at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium in Khandheri. Gujarat next take on Kerala, who thrashed Meghalaya, while MP will square off against Meghalaya, beginning February 24. (PTI)
Bengal bounce back to stun Baroda
Cuttack, Feb 20: All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and debutant wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel struck unbeaten fifties as Bengal bounced back after their first-innings debacle to secure a dramatic four-wicket win over Baroda in their Ranji Trophy Group B opener here on Sunday. Chasing 349 on the fourth day after being shot out for a paltry 88 in the first innings, Bengal rode on the duo of Ahmed and Porel, who stitched an unbroken 108-run partnership for the seventh wicket to steer their team home. In the other Group B game, Hyderabad beat Chandigarh by 217 runs. (PTI)
K’taka-Railways draw; J&K win
Chennai, Feb 20: Karnataka and Railways played out a draw in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match while Jammu and Kashmir began on a winning note, trouncing Pondicherry by eight wickets, here on Sunday. Resuming at 63 for one, Karnataka slipped from 179 for 2 to 223 for 9 before skipper Manish Pandey declared, leaving the opponent with a 278-run target from 41 overs for an improbable victory. The Railways finished at 69 for 4. In the other match of the day, veteran spinner Parvez Rasool finished with a six-wicket haul, dismissing the last Pondicherry batsman to star in Jammu and Kashmir’s win. Resuming at the overnight score of 113 for 9, Pondicherry added 11 runs to the score before Sagar Trivedi (37) became Rasool’s sixth victim in the second innings. Needing 42 runs to begin the season with a win, J&K lost the openers – Qamran Iqbal (8) and Jatin Wadhwan (9) before Shubham Pundir (21 not out) and Ian Dev Singh (6 not out) saw the team home. (PTI)
Rajasthan, U’khand register wins
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 20: Rajasthan opened their campaign in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group E with an emphatic 158-run win over Andhra on the fourth and final day of the match here on Sunday. Chasing 368 for victory, Andhra were bowled out 209 in 53.3 overs with Shubham Sharma (4 for 32) and Aniket Choudhary (3 for 50) doing most of the damage. In the group’s other match, Uttarakhand, who won the toss and sent their opponents Services into bat, bowled them out for 176 in the first innings before making 248 in their outing. Batting a second time, Services only managed 204, leaving their opponents with a victory target of 133. Skipper Jay Bista remained unbeaten on 87 to guide Uttarakhand to a comfortable nine-wicket win. (PTI)
Pujara stars in Saurasthra’s draw
Ahmedabad, Feb 20: Less than 24 hours after being dropped from the India Test squad, Cheteshwar Pujara struck an uncharacteristic 83-ball 91 for Saurashtra in their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai here on Sunday. The Elite Group D match ended in a draw with Saurahtra making 372 for nine in their second innings on the fourth and final day. Saurashtra were only 48 runs ahead when the stumps were drawn but the lack of time meant Mumbai could not go for an outright victory. So the record 41-time winners settled for three points from the game for taking the first-innings lead while defending champions Saurashtra bagged one. (PTI)
Nagaland beat Sikkim
Kolkata, Feb 20: Nagaland rode on veteran wicketkeeper-batter Chetan Bist’s all-round show to down Sikkim by six wickets in their Ranji Trophy plate group opener here on Sunday. The former Rajasthan glovesman slammed 115 and took eight catches behind the stumps as Nagaland chased down 174 in 40 overs to pocket six points. In the other plate group match, Mizoram managed to draw against Bihar after Mizoram was asked to follow-on. (PTI)