Andhra crush Bihar by innings and 157 runs
Patna, Feb 5: Andhra produced an all-round show to romp home with a massive win by an innings and 157 runs against Bihar and grabbed seven points from their Ranji Trophy Group B elite clash here on Monday. Bihar, who began the final day at 111/8 with a herculean task of making Andhra bat again with 170 runs in arrears and two wickets in hand, folded for a mere 124 in their second innings to cede their opponents a massive win here at the Moin Ul Haq Stadium. Bihar batters flopped collectively in the contest as they had managed just 182 in the first innings, against which Andhra replied with a massive 463, taking a lead of 281 runs. Nithish Kumar Reddy was the Player of the Match for his 159, with Andhra also grabbing a bonus point. (PTI)
Kerala draw with Chattisgarh
Raipur, Feb 5: At the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium in Raipur, Kerala grabbed three points from their drawn contest against hosts Chhattisgarh for taking a slender lead of 38 runs in the first innings. The game ended when Chhattisgarh reached 79/1 in their second essay after Kerala set a 289-run target on the final day. Sachin Baby missed a century for the second time in the match as he was run out for 94 in Kerala’s second innings after making 91 in the first. Baby’s knock, combined with Mohammed Azharuddeen’s unbeaten 50 took Kerala to 251 for five declared on the final day. (PTI)
Uttar Pradesh and visitors Assam draw
Kanpur, Feb 5: In the final match of this group, no result was possible at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium between home team Uttar Pradesh and visitors Assam with the two teams sharing one point each after the end of the match as no play was possible. UP batter Aryan Juyal was declared the Player of the Match for his 201 (278 balls, 21x4s, 1x6s) in the first innings. (PTI)
Jharkhand pulverise Manipur by innings and 102 runs
Jamshedpur, Feb 5: Jharkhand completed a comprehensive victory by an innings and 102 runs here on Monday to clinch seven points in their Elite Group A match of the Ranji Trophy on Monday. Jharkhand dominated the game through the course of play on all four days as they dismissed Manipur for a paltry 170 in the first innings and took a massive 334-run lead as they piled up 504/5 declared. There was no change in fortunes with the bat for Manipur in the second essay despite skipper K Langlonyamba Meitan’s 88, as they folded for 232 to hand Jharkhand a victory with a bonus point here at the Keenan Stadium. Keishangbam faced 157 balls and hit 12 fours and a six to delay the inevitable but no other Manipur batter could resist for long, with Jharkhand’s Pankaj Raunak returning 4/22 from his 14.3 overs. In another match, Rajasthan earned three points by virtue of first-innings lead of a mere 41 runs as they played out a draw against Vidarbha at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. In reply to the hosts Rajasthan’s total of 432 for which they consumed more than 130 overs, Vidarbha kept them on the field for about similar time duration, facing 125.3 overs to make 391. Karun Nair struck a 258-ball 112 with 12 fours to top score for Vidarbha while skipper and wicketkeeper-batter Akshay Wadkar made 59 and Yash Rathod scored 81. (PTI)