Ahmedabad, Jan 30: Gujarat captain Chintan Gaja and spinner Vishal Jayswal shared seven wickets between them to bowl out Himachal Pradesh for 215 on the opening day of their must-win Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Thursday.
With both teams vying for the second quarterfinal spot from the group, Gujarat’s bowlers were on the mark, wrapping up Himachal’s first innings in just 66.3 overs after opting to bowl.
Leading from the front, Gaja delivered a stellar spell of medium pace, claiming 4/31 at an impressive economy rate of 1.77. He accounted for both the openers before taking the crucial wicket of rival skipper Rishi Dhawan (40) Left-arm spinner Jayswal also made a strong impact, finishing with figures of 3/23 in just eight overs.
Despite several Himachal batters getting promising starts, they failed to convert them into substantial scores. Ankit Kalsi (53) and Dhawan provided the only real resistance, but their efforts weren’t enough to push their side to a bigger total.
Himachal, however, struck back with the ball, making early inroads into Gujarat’s top order. Spinners Mayanak Dagar and Mukul Negi removed openers Aditya Patel (19) and Aarya Desai (8) At stumps, Gujarat were 44/2, trailing by 171 runs, as both teams fought fiercely for the final quarterfinal spot.
In Nagpur, two-time champions Vidarbha — who have already secured their quarterfinal berth — were put on the back foot as Hyderabad bowled them out for just 190 in 55.5 overs.
Pacer Rakshan Readdi (3/29) and Chama Milind (2/46) dismantled the Vidarbha top order before left-arm spinner Anikethreddy (3/54) ran through the middle order.
All-rounder Harsh Dubey fought a lone battle with a counterattacking 65 off 46 balls.
In response, Hyderabad put up a solid batting display, reaching 90/2 at stumps. Opener Tanmay Agarwal remained unbeaten on 53, with Kodimela Himateja keeping him company.In Vizianagaram, Abhijeet Tomar (94) and Manav Suthar (54) guided Rajasthan to 258 before spinner Tripurana Vijay registered career-best innings figures of 5/62.
Andhra made a solid start in reply, finishing the day at 49/0. (PTI)
