A round-up of the Ranji matches played across India on Sunday
Bengal wallopped a Yuvraj Singh-led fancied Punjab by 115 runs in a Ranji Trophy group league encounter in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 360 in a maximum 76 overs, Punjab were dismissed for 244 in 72.3 overs with former India spinner Pragyan Ojha (4/70) brilliantly complementing the pace duo of
Amit Kuila (3/93) and Ashok Dinda (2/59).
Bengal were all out for 226 in their second innings after the lower-middle order added only 44 runs to their overnight score. Skipper Manoj Tiwary (92 no) remained stranded at one end having hit 12 boundaries and a six in 130 balls.
Kuila had a memorable debut with a match haul of eight wickets but Sayan Sekhar Mondal's first innings ton got him the Man of the Match award.
Ojha got the prized scalp of Yuvraj Singh (26, 22 balls), who was looking dangerous having hit a couple of sixes and a four during his brief stay.
Bengal bowlers made a good comeback after Punjab openers Jiwanjot Singh (44) and Manan Vohra (75) added 100 runs in 26 overs.
Veteran Dinda got the first breakthrough when Jiwanjot was caught by Pankaj Shaw. The stodgy Uday Kaul (7) edged an away going delivery from Kuila to Shreevats Goswami behind the stumps.
Wicketkeeper batsman Geetansh Khera (0) was promoted but was out first ball to a close in catch from Agniv Pan.
From 100 for no loss, Punjab were reduced to 112 for 3 before Yuvraj started hitting the bowling adding 44 with Vohra.
But his dismissal at team total of 156 somewhat ended Punjab's visions of a victory.
India discard Gurkeerat Singh (1) was trapped leg before with a perfect incutter and once Vohra was caught by skipper Manoj Tiwary off Ojha, it was a matter of time before Bengal won the match.
But MS Gony (43) and Siddharth Kaul (11) fought well to add 55 runs for the final wicket before debutant Ayan Bhattacharya got Gony to edge one to Shreevats behind the stumps.
Brief Scores: Bengal 404 and 226 (Manoj Tiwary 92 no; Siddharth Kaul 6/57)
Punjab 271 & 244 in 72.3 overs (Manan Vohra 75, Yuvraj Singh 26; Pragyan Ojha 4/70, Amit Kuila 3/93, Ashok Dinda 2/59).
Bengal won by 115 runs.
Points: Bengal 6; Punjab 0.
Andhra turn tables on J&K after conceding lead
Mumbai: Andhra turned the tables on Jammu and Kashmir in dramatic fashion after conceding the first innings lead, as they romped to an exciting four-wicket victory with 15 balls to spare in a Ranji Trophy Group C match on Sunday.
Andhra, trailing J&K by 79 runs in the first innings, shot out their rivals for a meagre 111 on the fourth and final day of the game and then reached the target for the loss of six wickets in 49.3 overs.
Andhra had to make 191 in 52 overs and they completed the chase when Siva Kumar struck J&K off spinner Parvez Rasool for a boundary.
The other unconquered batsman was Ashwin Hebbar who made an invaluable 27 in 33 balls with five fours.
Andhra were 82 for 3 at tea, needing 109 runs for victory, and were pushed back by a two-wicket burst in successive overs by medium pacer Ram Dayal to leave them at 149 for five.
Dayal sent back top scorer D B Ravi Teja (50) after breaking the stubborn fourth-wicket partnership of 62 between the two-down batsman and A G Pradeep (27) by castling the latter.
But Hebbar kept his cool and although Rasool, who picked up the first three wickets, struck by dismissing M Sriram when Andhra were 174, he st uck to his task admirably and took his team past the finish line in the company of Siva Kumar.
While Rasool did the early damage, first innings bowling hero for J&K Aamir Aziz went wicket-less after bowling 17 overs for 73 runs.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt ran through the J&K line-up by grabbing five for 60. He was given good support by medium pacer P Vijay Kumar, who claimed three wickets.
J&K, overnight 31 for 2, were all out in 55 overs after having made 334 in the first innings to which Andhra had replied with 255.
Andhra secured six points for the win to take their points tally to 8 from three matches while J&K remained on 7 points from three games.
Brief scores: J&K 334 and 111 (S Khajuria 49; B Bhatt 5 for 60, P Vijay Kumar 3 for 16) lost to Andhra 255 and 194 for 6 (K S Bharat 31, D B Ravi Teja 50, A Hebbar 27 not out; P Rasool 4 for 55, Ram Dayal 2 for 26) by four wickets.
Mumbai take 3 points after Nayar, Lad hit tons
Raipur: Abhishek Nayar and Siddesh Lad struck unbeaten centuries to help Mumbai secure three points on the basis of taking the first-innings lead in their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Madhya Pradesh on Sunday.
Nayar and Lad scored 103 and 100 respectively to power Mumbai to 568 for seven declared in reply to Madhya Pradesh's first-innings total of 445 ball out at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
Nayar struck nine boundaries and a six while facing 184 balls. While Lad found the fence eight times during his 171-ball knock.
Overnight 290/5, Mumbai lost Akhil Herwadkar (156) for the addition of 20 runs at the score of 347/6, while Tushar Deshpande fell for an individual score of 62.
Nayar and Lad then got together to add 200 runs for the unbroken eighth wicket as Mumbai surpassed Madhya Pradesh's total.
Ishwar Pandey (3/122) and Ankit Sharma (3/138) were the most successful bowlers for Madhya Pradesh.
Points: Mumbai 3 points, Madhya Pradesh 1 point.
Dominant Gujarat beat Railways by 294 runs
Lahli, Rohtak:Gujarat defeated Railways by a massive 294 to carry on their fine run in Group A of the Ranji Trophy cricket tournament, on Sunday.
With an improbable 300 runs to get on the fourth and final day for a win, Railways lost their last six batsmen in just 16.2 overs, adding just 35 runs.
Chasing a mammoth 501 runs for an outright win, Railways' second innings folded for just 206 runs in 77.2 overs.
Resuming at the overnight score of 171 for four, Railways last batsmen failed to provide any resitence once the 85 runs fifth-wicket stand between Mahesh Rawat (54) and A N Ghosh (36) was cut short on the morning of the final day's proceedings.
Rawat was first wicket to fall on the day after adding just two runs to his overnight personal score.
Ghosh too did not last long and perished after adding 10 more runs to his total.
From there on, a win was inevitable for Gujarat and they wrapped up the proceedings in quick time.
Ishwar Chaudhary ((3/29), Rush Kalaria (3/30) and Karan Patel (3/94) picked up nine wickets between them.
By virtue of this win, Gujarat pocketed six points from the game.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat: 187 & 437 for 7 decl vs Railways: 124 & 206 all out in 77.2 overs (Mahesh Rawat 54, A N Ghosh 36; Ishwar Chaudhary 3/29).
Points: Gujarat 6 points, Railways 0.
Trunkwala, lower-order batsmen help Maharashtra salvage a draw
Vizianagaram: A fighting century by Murtaza Trunkwala and an equally commendable effort from the lower order enabled Maharashtra register a draw against Saurashtra on the final day of a Ranji Trophy Group B match.
Saurashtra required eight wickets on the last day to post an innings win but Maharashtra batsmen denied them full points from the match.
Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (4/64) claimed four wickets, but Saurashtra could take only six of the eight wickets they needed as Maharashtra ended on 345 for eight.
Resuming their second innings on 114 for two after following-on, Trunkwala scored 117 off 227 deliveries studded with 22 boundaries before he fell in the 33rd over of the day.
Another significant contribution from the middle order batsman Ankit Bawne (60) helped Maharashtra hang on.
When Bawne got out, Maharashtra's scorecard was reading 230 for five with over 50 overs left in the day, but Chirag Khurana (44), Vishant More (39) and Shrikant Mundhe (24) showed a lot of character and ensured a point from the match.
Jadeja finished with a match haul of nine for 105.
Brief scores:
Saurashtra: 657 for 8 decl
Maharashtra: 182 & 345 for eight in 130 overs (Murtaza Trunkwala 117, Ankit Bawne 60; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 4/64).
Points: Saurashtra 3, Maharashtra 1.
HP force a draw against Tripura
Kalyani (West Bengal): Ankush Bains struck a patient 113 before half-centuries from Prashant Chopra, Nikhil Gangta and skipper Rishi Dhawan helped Himachal Pradesh force draw against Tripura in a Ranji Trophy Group C match at the BengalCricketAcademy ground on Sunday.
Tripura, who scored a mammoth 549 in the first innings, logged three points by virtue of their first innings lead to jump to third place with nine points ahead of Himachal Pradesh, who had to settle for a point.
Resuming on 19 for one in their second innings while following-on, HP’s 20-year-old Bains struck a solid century from 182 balls (13x4).
The wicketkeeper-batsman stood in three fifty-plus partnerships in the middle en route to his fourth first-class century, even as Tripura left-arm spinner Gurwinder Singh (4/96) claimed regular breakthroughs.
Bains’s knock ensured that they overcame the deficit but soon he was trapped lbw by Singh ahead of the tea break and Tripura were in a sight of win. But an unbroken 107-run partnership between Gangta (64 not out) and skipper Rishi Dhawan (54 from as many balls) forced a draw.
Brief scores:
Tripura: 549
Himachal Pradesh: 311 & 349 for 5 in 80 overs (Ankush Bains 113, Nikhil Gangta 64 not out, Rishi Dhawan 54 not out, Prashant Chopra 51; Gurwinder Singh 4/96).
Points: Tripura 3, Himachal Pradesh 1.
Services salvage a draw against Goa
Cuttack: Rahul Singh Gahlaut and Anshul Gupta slammed unbeaten half-centuries to help Services salvage a draw against Goa in their drawn Ranji Trophy Group C cricket match against Services.
Gahlaut, who scored a career-best 89 in the first innings, continued the impressive run in his maiden first class season as he slammed an unbeaten 70 in the second essay, his third from as many matches, to help Services return with one point.
With Services tottering for 52 for 4, the 21-year-old lefthander showed a lot of composure and put on a match-saving unbroken 136 partnership with Gupta (64 not out).
Goa took home three points on basis of their first innings lead at the DRIEMS Ground in Tangi on the outskirts.
Earlier, Services, resuming on 267 for 7 in reply to Goa's mammoth 606 for 6 declared, folded with an addition of 11 runs to the overnight total and were enforced a follow-on.
Brief scores:
Goa: 606/6 decl
Services: 279 in 107.1 overs (Rahul Singh 89, Muzzaffaruddin Khalid 48, Ravi Chauhan 47; Felix Alemao 4/56) & 188/4 in 68 overs (Rahul Singh 70 not out, Anshul Gupta 64 not out).
Points:Goa 3, Services 1.
Anirudh's ton help Hyderabad secure a draw against Kerala
Bhubaneswar: Left-hander Balchander Anirudh struck a sublime 120 not out, his maiden first-class hundred, to lead Hyderabad's rescue act and force a draw against Kerala in their Ranji Trophy Group C cricket match at the KIIT Cricket Stadium.
The 22-year-old lefthander hit two sixes and 14 fours in his fluent knock from 192 balls as Hyderabad replied strongly with 220 for three in their second innings after they were forced to followed-on.
Kerala bagged three points on the basis of their first innings lead to be on six points, one behind Hyderabad.
Earlier on the day, in reply to Kerala's 517 for nine declared, Hyderabad were dismissed with an addition of 50 to their overnight total to concede a huge 236 first innings deficit.
Following-on, Hyderabad lost both their openers for 67 but Anirudh stayed on and denied Kerala an innings victory.
Kerala used as many as seven bowlers but none could break the defence of Anirudh as he carried his bat through the day to salvage a point for Hyderabad.
Brief scores:
Kerala: 517/9 decl
Hyderabad: 281 (Mehdi Hasan 58, Akash Bhandari 40; Sandeep Warrier 3/57, K Monish 3/56) & 220/3 in 69 overs (Balchander Anirudh 120 not out).
Points: Kerala 3, Hyderabad 1.
Mohit grabs five as Haryana beat Chattisgarh by 161 runs
Guwahati: Mohit Sharma sent a timely reminder to the national selectors with his second successive five-wicket haul with Haryana beating Chattisgarh by 161 runs in a Ranji Trophy encounter.
The match ended in the first session of the fourth day as Chattisgarh starting the day at 50 for six chasing a target of 279 were all out for 117 in 44 overs with Abhimanyu Chauhan top-scoring with 46.
Mohit after his 5/26 against Hyderabad, grabbed 5 for 27 against Chattisgarh. Looking in good rhythm, the Haryana seamer should be back in contention as far as the limited overs matches are concerned.
He took a couple of wickets including that of Chauhan to complete his seventh five-for in first-class cricket.
Brief Scores:
Haryana 178 and 289.
Chattisgarh 189 and 117 (Abhimanyu Chauhan 46, Mohit Sharma 5/27). Haryana won by 161 runs.
Points: Haryana 6; Chattisgarh 0.
TN fail to take first-innings lead, UP earn three points
Dharamsala: Baba Indrajith's unbeaten 127 went in vain as Tamil Nadu failed to take the first-innings lead against Uttar Pradesh, falling short by 44 runs, even as their Group A Ranji Trophy match ended in a tame draw.
Tamil Nadu's first innings folded for 480 in reply to Uttar Pradesh's total of 524.
Tamil Nadu started the day at an overnight score of 398 for six, and Indrajith, who was on 70 not out on Saturday, batted with a lot of responsibility.
He shepherded the tail en-route to bringing up his third first-class century. But he soon ran out of partners.
Uttar Pradesh seamer Ankit Rajpoot (4/120) finished with a four-wicket haul.
In their second innings, Uttar Pradesh reached 114 for one declared at the close of play with Tanmay Srivastava scoring 59 not out.
Brief scores:
Uttar Pradesh: 524 & 114 for one decl in 49 overs (Tanmay Srivastava 59 not out).
Tamil Nadu: 480 (Abhinav Mukund 154, Baba Indrajith 127 not out; Ankit Rajpoot 4/120).
Points: Uttar Pradesh 3, Tamil Nadu 1.
Nadeem, Sunny spin Jharkhand to 42-run win
Vadodara: Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem grabbed five for 94 while off-spinner Sunny Gupta took 2/51 with Jharkhand getting better of Rajasthan by 42 runs in a Ranji Trophy encounter.
Chasing a target of 280, Rajasthan scored 237 in 90.5 overs with Chetan Bist scoring 77.
Starting the day at 67 for 3, Rahjasthan were down and out at 137 for eight before Bist and Aniket Chaudhary (32) added 87 runs for the ninth wicket to take the score to 224 before seamer Ashish Kumar removed Chaudhary.
Bist, who hit six boundaries and a six was the last man to be dismissed by medium pacer Ajay Yadav.
Brief Scores: Jharkhand 209 and 277.
Rajasthan 207 and 237 (Chetan Bist 77, Shahbaz Nadeem 5/94, Sunny Gupta 2/51).
Vidarbha secure 3 points against Assam
Thumba (Thiruvananthapuram): Vidarbha earned three points for taking the first-innings lead against Assam in their Ranji Trophy Group B match.
Assam were 73 for three in two in their second innings when the match was called off on the fourth and final day at St Xavier's College Ground.
Assam were all out for 227 in their first innings in reply to the 416 all out by Vidarbha.
Rahul Hazarika (33) and Amit Verma (14) were the two unbeaten Assam batsmen at the crease. For Vidarbha, Aditya Sarwate (5/72) was the best bowler in Assam's first innings.
