Baroda stun defending champions Mumbai
Vadodara, Oct 14: Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt grabbed six wickets in a stunning bowling show as Baroda defeated defending champions Mumbai by 84 runs on the final day of their Group A Ranji Trophy match here on Monday. In a match that saw fortunes fluctuating in each of the four days, the 34-year-old Bhatt (6/55 from 19.4 overs) ripped through the Mumbai line up in the second innings to help his side notch a memorable win. Chasing 262 for a win, Mumbai were shot out for 177 in 48.2 overs. The 42-time champions Mumbai had resumed the day at 42 for 2, needing 220 runs to win the match on the final day. Except for a 41-run stand between top-scorer Siddhesh Lad (59) and Shreyas Iyer (30), there was no real fight from the Mumbai batters, who lost eight wickets for 135 runs in 38.5 overs bowled on the day. Overnight batter and captain Ajinkya Rahane was the first Mumbai batter to get out on Monday for 12. Soon after, the other overnight batter Ayush Mhatre (22) followed suit, both becoming victims of Bhatt. Iyer and Lad – the last man out for Mumbai – were also accounted for by Bhatt. Baroda had taken an upper hand on the second day on Saturday by taking a 76-run first innings lead, courtesy a relentless effort from their bowlers. But the next day, right-arm off-spinner Tanush Kotian led a brilliant bowling show for Mumbai with a five-wicket haul to help the defending champions skittle Baroda out for 185 in the home side’s second innings. (PTI)
Vidarbha beat Andhra by 74 runs in Group B
Nagpur, Oct 14: Medium pacer Aditya Thakare and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey shared eight wickets between them to hand Vidarbha a 74-run victory over Andhra in a Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Monday. While Vidarbha were bundled out for 118 in their first innings, Andhra scored 167 in response. In the second innings, Vidarbha rode on Punjab Kings opener Atharva Taide’s century, complemented by Aman Mokhade (53) and Danish Melewar (61) to score a healthy 366, thereby setting a target of 318 for Andhra. But Thakare (4/47) and Dubey (4/69) and ably assisted by veteran off-spinner Akshay Wakhare (2/71) as they bowled out Andhra for 243 all out in 86.4 overs to ensure the win.
In Jaipur, hosts Rajasthan came tantalisingly close to registering an outright win over Puducherry, falling short by just 19 runs to settle for a draw but grabbed three points by virtue of taking the first innings lead in another Ranji Trophy Group B match. Chasing 239 on the fourth and final day, Rajasthan could muster 220 for 7 in 60 overs. Opener Abhijeet Tomar top-scored for Rajasthan with 87 off 149 balls, while wicketkeeper Kunal Singh Rathore made 59 off 126 deliveries. Fabid Ahmed (2/46) and Sagar Udeshi (2/56) picked up two wickets each for Puducherry. Earlier resuming their second essay at 207 for 6 on Monday, Puducherry added 74 runs for the loss of four wickets to set the total. Akash Kargave (54) and Anand Bais (45) made significant scores for Puducherry. Mahipal Lomror (3/15), Rahul Chahar (2/44), Khaleel Ahmed (2/64) and Manav Sutar (2/71) were the main wicket takers for Rajasthan in Puducherry’s second innings.
In Secundrebad, Gujarat defeated Hyderabad by 126 runs to register their first win.
Elsewhere, Himachal hammered Uttarakhand by an innings and 97 runs in Dharamsala. (PTI)
Easwaran, Garg share spoils on day four
Lucknow, Oct 14: Prolific Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran scored his fourth first class hundred in as many games before Priyam Garg’s fighting century for Uttar Pradesh resulted in a drawn game in the Ranji Trophy here on Monday. Bengal took three points for gaining the first innings lead while Uttar Pradesh walked away with a point on the final day of the Group A fixture. Resuming their second innings at an overnight 141 for no loss, Bengal declared at 254 for three in the morning session with Easwaran remaining unbeaten on 127 off 172 balls. Uttar Pradesh were set an improbable target of 274 and they could only reach 162 for six in 151 overs before bad light brought an end to the game. Having made 311 in their first innings, Bengal had managed to take a slender 19-run first innings lead by bowling out Uttar Pradesh for 292. Easwaran, who resumed at an overnight 78, completed his 27th first-class ton in the morning. The right-hander is a strong contender for the reserve opener’s role in the India squad for the upcoming tour of Australia. Bengal pace duo of Mukesh Kumar and Mohammad Kaif increased the nerves in the UP dressing room by removing the openers, Aryan Juyal (5) and Swastik Chikara (12), respectively . Number three batter fought a lone battle for his team with an unbeaten 105 off 156 balls. He brought his hundred with a six over long on. Overall, he collected eights fours and five sixes. Bengal eventually ran out of time to dismiss UP but Garg played a major role in denying them a victory. (PTI)
Saini takes 3 wkts on final day as Delhi start with win
Raipur, Oct 14: Navdeep Saini bowled a sharp opening spell to keep Delhi interested in a possibility of an outright win but finally managed three points against Chattisgarh in their opening group D Ranji Trophy match here on Monday. Seasoned Jonty Sidhu’s second career first-class hundred had ensured a slender first innings lead for Delhi, who had scored 357 in their first essay on the third evening itself. This was after Chattisgarh scored 343 batting first. Starting the final day at 33 for no loss, Chattisgarh reached 179 for 6 in 60 overs when the two captains Amandeep Khare and Himmat Singh decided to shake hands with no outright result possible in a session’s play that was left. For Delhi under new head coach Sarandeep Singh, it can be termed a decent start especially if one looks at how the two previous seasons have panned out. On the fourth morning, it was a five-over spell by Saini (3/36 in 12 overs) that had rocked Chattisgarh with Aayush Pandey (33) and Eknath Kerkar (13) being dismissed in quick succession. By lunch, Chattisgarh had lost five wickets with less than 100-run lead. But skipper Khare (18 off 80 balls) and Ajay Mandal (57 not out off 94 balls) batted for 17.4 overs adding only 38 runs for the sixth wicket but more importantly consumed enough overs to ensure a solitary point for their team. Once Saini got Khare trapped leg before with the old ball, Delhi did raise slender vision of victory but Mandal and former Mumbai batter Bhupen Lalwani (3 not out) played out another 9.2 overs as the match petered out towards a draw. (PTI)