GROUP A
Rekhade’s five-for powers Vidarbha to 100-run win over Odisha
Nagpur, Nov 11: Left-arm spinner Parth Rekhade returned with a five-wicket haul as Vidarbha registered a 100-run win over Odisha to move to the top of Group A in the Ranji Trophy here on Tuesday.
Chasing 345 for victory, Odisha were bowled out for 244 in 84 overs after a promising 100-run opening stand between Swastik Samal (65) and Gourav Choudhury (47).Vidarbha now lead the table with 19 points, while Odisha remain second from bottom with just one point.
Resuming at 44 for no loss, Samal and Choudhury added 56 more runs before Rekhade provided the breakthrough in the 24th over, trapping the latter leg before wicket.Samal too became his victim soon after, while Sandeep Pattnaik’s painstaking 27 off 105 balls ended when he was trapped in front by Praful Hinge in the 38th over.Skipper Subhranshu Senapati (28) and Govinda Poddar (46) tried to steady the chase but failed to convert their starts, as Odisha kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Rekhade (5/80) led the bowling effort with Hinge (3/41) providing able support, while Nachiket Bhute (1/50) also chipped in. With this commanding win, Vidarbha have not only reaffirmed their dominance in Group A but also showcased the depth and balance of their bowling attack.In Vadodara, opener Shikhar Mohan struck an unbeaten 102 as Jharkhand reached 226 for four in their second innings before agreeing to a draw with Baroda.
Jharkhand, who bagged three points for their first-innings lead, are placed second in the group with 18 points. Baroda settled for one to be at fifth spot with a total of 9 points.Resuming at 10 for one, Mohan hit eight fours and two sixes in his 200-ball unbeaten knock, while Virat Singh scored a fluent 64 off 78 balls with nine boundaries and a six.
With Jharkhand, who posted 506 in their first innings, firmly in control, the two captains decided to shake hands.
On Monday, Andhra beat Tamil Nadu by four wickets, while Uttar Pradesh registered an innings and 265 runs win over Nagaland.
Brief Scores:
In Vadodara: Jharkhand 506 & 226/4 (Shikhar Mohan 102 not out, Virat Singh 64; Bhargav Bhat 3/73) drew with Baroda 291.
In Nagpur: Vidarbha 286 & 218/2 decl in 59 overs beat Odisha 160 & 244 all out in 84 overs (Swastik Samal 65; Parth Rekhade 5/80). (PTI)
GROUP B
Madhya Pradesh beat Goa by three wickets in tense run chase
Porvorim, Nov 11: All-rounder Saransh Jain held one end together with a solid unbeaten 82 to help Madhya Pradesh beat Goa by three wickets after a tense run chase on the final day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match here Tuesday.
Madhya Pradesh, who had conceded a 97-run first innings lead, started the final day at 21 for 1 in pursuit of 328, and wickets fell at regular intervals.
Arriving at 176 for 4, Jain anchored the MP run chase with some support from the lower order batters. His unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 65 with Arshad Khan (25) turned it around for the visitors.
Jain hit nine fours in his 132-ball unbeaten innings. Captain Shubham Sharma got 72 off 134 balls while Harsh Gawli contributed 54.The other two matches of Group B — Kerala vs Saurashtra, and Karnataka vs Maharashtra — ended in draws.In Pune, Karnataka took three points and Maharashtra one after the drawn match.
Karnataka captain Mayank Agarwal struck 103 off 249 balls (8×4, 1×6) while Abhinav Manohar made 96 off 160 deliveries but there was no way a result could have been achieved in the match due to shortage of time.
Karnataka, who took a slender 13-run lead in the first innings, decided to shake hands with Maharashtra after reaching 310 for 8.
Maharashtra had made 300 in reply to Karnataka’s 313 in the first innings.
The result leaves Karnataka on top of the Group B points table, while Maharashtra are third.
In Mangalapuram, hosts Kerala were 37 for 2 at lunch while chasing 330 for a win. They fought back to save themselves from a defeat, reaching 154 for 3. More importantly, they earned three points after a first-innings lead.
Earlier in the day, Saurashtra declared their innings at 402 for 8, built largely on Chirag Jani’s 152 on the third day. They began the day at 351 for 5 and Prerak Mankad added just 10 runs from his overnight 52.
The star of the match, however, was the Kerala quick MD Nidheesh who snared 10 wickets.
Punjab had beaten Chandigarh by eight wickets on Monday. (PTI)
GROUP C
Denish, Sibsankar tons help Assam salvage draw against Tripura
Agartala, Nov 11: Skipper Denish Das and senior batter Sibsankar Roy struck defiant centuries to help Assam salvage a draw against Tripura on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match here on Tuesday.
Resuming on overnight 78 for 3 in their second innings and facing a huge deficit, Assam showed remarkable grit to bat through the day, ending at 367 for 7 when the teams agreed to call off play in the final session.
Captain Denish Das (103 off 197 balls) anchored the innings with a composed century, guiding Assam out of trouble after a shaky start.
He found solid support from wicketkeeper Sumit Ghadigaonkar (54 off 161) as the duo steadied the innings with a 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket.After Denish’s dismissal, Roy took charge, batting fluently for an unbeaten 101 off 141 balls, which was decorated with 17 fours and two sixes.His counterattacking approach ensured Assam not only avoided an innings defeat but also batted Tripura out of the contest.
Lower down, Ayushman Malakar (21 not out) provided valuable resistance as the visitors stretched their lead past 100 before stumps were drawn.
For Tripura, Ajay Sarkar was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 for 70, while Swapnil Singh (2/88) and Rana Dutta (2/34) also chipped in with wickets but couldn’t bowl out Assam as the pitch eased out.
Earlier, Tripura had taken complete control of the match after piling up a strong first-innings total to enforce the follow-on, but Assam’s second-innings fightback ensured the honours were eventually shared.
Shahbaz shines with 7-for, Bengal thrash Railways
In Surat, left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed produced a stunning seven-wicket haul as Bengal crushed Railways by an innings and 72 runs.
Resuming on 90 for 5, Railways were bundled out for 132 in 55.5 overs in their second innings, collapsing in the first session as Shahbaz ran riot with figures of 7 for 56 from 22.5 overs.
His relentless accuracy and sharp turn proved to be too much for the Railways middle and lower order.
Only Bhargav Merai (26 off 81 balls) and Upendra Yadav (21 off 63) showed some resistance, and once Shahbaz removed Merai and Yadav in quick succession, the end came swiftly. (PTI)
GROUP D
Delhi lose to J&K in Ranji Trophy for first time in 65 years
New Delhi, Nov 11: Delhi cricket hit a new low on Tuesday after a spirited Jammu and Kashmir thrashed them by seven wickets for their first-ever Ranji Trophy victory over the formidable opposition that was powered by opener Qamran Iqbal’s superb hundred here.
After four games, Delhi coached by Sarandeep Singh, are sixth among eight teams in Group D with seven points and it will take a miracle to qualify for the knockouts with only four points from three home games.
Questionable selections, poor strategies, absence of smart captaincy and a state unit in which teams have suffered due to factionalism and infighting has brought about the team’s downfall.
Since 1960, Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir have met 43 times and 37 of those games have ended in outright wins for the seven-time champions.
Chasing a target of 179 for victory, J&K needed 124 runs on the final day with opener Iqbal (133 not out off 147 balls) at the crease with night-watchman Vanshaj Sharma (8 off 55 balls).
What looked like a difficult pitch suddenly became placid as Iqbal took it upon himself to use his long levers and big stride to negate any turn off the surface.
The roughs and indents were created on both sides of the track and Delhi’s spinners Mannan Bhardwaj and Hrithik Shokeen didn’t attack the stumps as much, trying to bowl too fast which also didn’t get them any purchase.
Draw in Hyderabad
In the last group match to finish on Tuesday, Hyderabad earned three points for taking a first-innings lead after the contest against Rajasthan ended in a draw on the fourth and final day in Hyderabad. (PTI)
