GROUP A
Jharkhand, Vidarbha, Uttar Pradesh dominate Day 1
Vadodara, Nov 8: Skipper Ishan Kishan failed to fire but Kumar Kushagra struck a fine unbeaten century as table-toppers Jharkhand reached 327 for five on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Baroda here on Saturday.
Kushagra hit 13 fours and three sixes during his 225-ball 133-run knock, while Robin cracked 10 fours and a six in his entertaining 90-ball 79.The duo added 135 runs for the fifth wicket to put Jharkhand in a commanding position.Anukul Roy (1) was giving company to Kushagra at stumps.Earlier, Virat Singh contributed 46 with three fours and two sixes, while Ishan hit two fours and a maximum before being caught by Shivalik Sharma off Mahesh Pithiya.
For Baroda, Pithiya (2/109) and Rasikh Dar Salam (2/56) picked up two wickets each, while Raj Limbani (1/27) also chipped in.
At Nagpur, Dhruv Shorey showed great discipline on way to an unbeaten 128 to guide Vidarbha to 234 for five in their first innings against Odisha.Sent in to bat, Shorey was the fulcrum around which Vidarbha’s innings revolved as he struck 10 boundaries and a six during his 250-ball stay. Ravikumar Samarth (49) and Yash Rathod (38) also made useful contributions.
Skipper Akshay Wadkar (0) was batting alongside Shorey at close of play at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.For Odisha, Rajesh Mohanty (2/34), Tapas Das (1/29) and Jamala Mohapatra (1/44) shared the wickets.In Kanpur, Madhav Kaushik and Aryan Juyal slammed centuries, while opener Abhishek Goswami scored 55 as Uttar Pradesh produced a commanding batting display to reach 301 for one at stumps against Nagaland at Green Park.
Opting to bat, openers Kaushik and Goswami put on 118 runs before the latter became the only wicket to fall, dismissed by Imliwati Lemtur (1/56) in the 38th over.Kaushik then joined forces with Juyal in an unbeaten 183-run stand to put the hosts in control.
Kaushik struck nine fours, while Juyal hit 15 boundaries.
In Visakhapatnam, Prithvi Raj claimed four wickets as Andhra bowled out Tamil Nadu for 182 before reaching 20 for one at stumps.
Abhishek Reddy (3) and Tripurana Vijay (1) were batting at the close of play, with Andhra 162 runs away from taking a first-innings lead. (PTI)
GROUP B
Nidheesh’s six-for helps Kerala bowl Saurashtra out for 160
Mangalapuram, Nov 8: Medium-pacer MD Nidheesh’s superb six-wicket haul helped Kerala bowl out Saurashtra for a mere 160 and take the upper hand on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Saturday.
Right-armer Nidheesh (6/20) wreaked havoc on the Saurashtra batters as the visitors were all out for 160 in 55.2 overs after Kerala won the toss and opted to field.
It was Nidheesh’s eighth first-class five-for.
One-down Jay Gohil top-scored with 84 off 123 balls with the help of 11 fours and two sixes as he contributed more than half of the Saurashtra total.After bagging Harvik Desai for a duck in the first over, Nidheesh had Chirag Jani for 5 and Arpit Vasavada (0) in back-to-ball deliveries in the seventh over. He missed out on a hat-trick, but left Saurashtra at 7 for 3.He then dismissed Prerak Mankad (13) and Ansh Gosai (1) to reduce Saurashtra to 82 for 5 in the 27th over. It was due to the 69-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Gohil and Mankad that took Saurashtra past the 150-run mark.In reply, Kerala were 82 for 2 in 22 overs at stumps with opener Rohan Kunnummal batting on 59 off 58 balls with the help of nine fours and one six.
For Saurashtra, Hiten Kanbi took both the wickets.In another Group B match in Pune, Karnataka made 257 for 5 against Maharashtra at stumps on the opening day after they were 89 for 3 at one stage.Captain and opening batter Mayank Agarwal made 80 off 181 balls while Ravichandran Smaran chipped in with 54 off 84 balls after Karnataka opted to bat.Karun Nair was dismissed for 4 by Ramakrishna Ghosh.
Veteran spinner Jalaj Saxena grabbed three wickets for 80 runs.
Brief Scores: In Mangalapuram: Saurashtra: 160 all out in 55.2 overs (Jay Gohil 84; MD Nidheesh 6/20) vs Kerala 82 for 2 in 22 overs (Rohan Kunnummal not out 59; Hiten Kanbi 2/26).In Pune: Karnataka: 257 for 5 in 89 overs (Mayank Agarwal 80, Ravichandran Smaran 54; Jalaj Saxena 3/80) vs Maharashtra.
In Porvorim: Goa: 256 for 8 in 84.5 overs (Suyash Prabhudessai 65; Saransh Jain 4/72) vs Madhya Pradesh. (PTI)
GROUP C
Majumdar ton, Shahbaz’s 86 lift Bengal after top-order collapse
Surat, Nov 8: A gritty century from Anustup Majumdar and a fluent half-century by Shahbaz Ahmed rescued Bengal from early trouble and helped them reach a strong 273 for five against Railways on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group match here on Friday.
Opting to bat first, Bengal found themselves in early trouble against a disciplined Railways attack.
Skipper Sudip Gharami (0) fell early to Adarsh Singh, while Aditya Purohit (6) and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (5) also departed cheaply, leaving the visitors reeling at 27 for three inside the first 27 overs.
Wicketkeeper Habib Gandhi (28) attempted to steady the innings but his dismissal to left-arm spinner Kunal Yadav at 61 threatened to undo the brief recovery.
That was when Majumdar, one of Bengal’s most seasoned campaigners, rose to the occasion.
The 41-year-old right-hander, known for his ability to anchor long innings, showcased immense composure on a sluggish track to bring up his 18th first-class century.
He remained unbeaten on 103 off 161 balls, an innings decorated with 12 boundaries.Majumdar found an ideal partner in Shahbaz, who counter-attacked in style. The left-hander mixed aggression with control, playing some delightful strokes en route to a brisk 86 off 106 balls, which included 12 fours and three sixes.
The pair’s 134-run partnership for the fifth wicket changed the complexion of the innings, frustrating the Railways bowlers who had dominated the morning session.Shahbaz, who looked set for a century, fell to Karn Sharma late in the evening, caught at mid-off while attempting to accelerate.
Towards the close, Sumanta Gupta (39 not out off 56 balls) provided excellent support to Majumdar. The duo added an unbroken 78-run stand for the sixth wicket to ensure Bengal ended the day in control.
For Railways, Kunal Yadav was the standout performer, finishing with 3 for 56 from 19 tidy overs.
Adarsh Singh (1/29) and Karn Sharma (1/64) picked up a wicket each, but the rest of the attack struggled to extract any help from the surface.
The first session clearly belonged to Railways, but Majumdar’s experience and Shahbaz’s fluency swung the momentum in Bengal’s favour by stumps. (PTI)
GROUP D
Simarjeet’s triple blow gets Delhi back in game
New Delhi, Nov 8: Pacer Simarjeet Singh bowled a sharp opening spell to reduce Jammu and Kashmir to 31 for 3 after eight home batters contributed just 20 runs in Delhi’s below-par 211 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group D match, here Saturday.
Simarjeet moved the ball both ways to first dismiss Shubham Khajuria, who was caught by Ayush Doseja and then removed Qamran Iqbal, who edged one to Sanat Sangwan in the slips.Nightwatchman Sunil Kumar was bowled by an incoming delivery as Delhi after a forgettable batting effort smelt blood during the final hour of the day at Feroze Shah Kotla Ground.With the new ball only 13 overs old, Simarjeet and fellow pacer Money Grewal will like to exploit the underlying moisture, which is a regular feature at Kotla during winters.And that was precisely the reason, why Delhi’s opening duo of Arpit Rana (0) and Sanat Sangwan (12) were all at sea against Auqib Nabi (5/35) and Sunil Kumar (1/29), who got some swing and seam movement.Rana dabbed at a delivery from Nabi and was caught by IPL specialist Abdul Samad in the slips. Yash Dhull (1) was slightly unlucky as the delivery from Sunil had deviated enough and didn’t take the outside edge of his bat but was ruled out.
Musheer, Lad tons take Mumbai to 289/5 vs HP
Opener Musheer Khan (112) and veteran Siddhesh Lad (100 batting) added 157 runs between them for the fifth wicket as Mumbai reached a position of stability to end the opening day at 289 for five against Himachal Pradesh in Mumbai.
Mumbai were reduced to 73 for 4 after another failure from Team India hopeful Sarfaraz Khan (16) was trapped leg before. (PTI)
