Less than 24 hours after being dropped from India's Test squad, Cheteshwar Pujara struck an uncharacteristic 83-ball 91 to steer Saurashtra to a draw in their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai in Ahmedabad.
A summary of the fourth and final day's action in the Ranji Trophy, on Sunday.
India Under-19 World Cup-winning star Yash Dhull capped a dream first-class debut by scoring his second century of the game as the Ranji Trophy Group H match between Delhi and Tamil Nadu ended in a draw, in Guwahati, on Sunday.
With his unbeaten 113 off 202 balls in the second innings on the fourth and final day, Dhull became only the third batter after Nari Contractor (1952/53) and Virag Awate (2012/13) to score a hundred in each innings on Ranji Trophy debut.
After Shahrukh Khan got Tamil Nadu the all-important first innings lead with a sensational 194 off 148 balls on Day 2, Dhull and his senior opening partner Dhruv Shorey (107 off 165) batted for 60.5 overs to take Delhi to 228 for no loss in the second innings before the players shook hands for a draw.
Dhull, who came into the game straight from the Under-19 World Cup triumph in the Caribbean, and with no recent red ball cricket under his belt, instantly showed that he belonged to the first-class level.
His second hundred of the match came in easier batting conditions. With Delhi under pressure at 7 for 2 on Day 1, the 19-year-old showed remarkable skill and maturity to bail the team out of trouble and help them to 452 along with Lalit Yadav.
Courtesy Shahrukh's display of brutal hitting, Tamil Nadu gained three points and Delhi one after posting 494 in their first innings.
Delhi face Jharkhand in their second game from February 24.
Bengal bounce back to stun Baroda after Shahbaz, Abhishek's fifties
All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and debutant wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel struck unbeaten fifties as Bengal bounced back after their first-innings debacle to secure a dramatic four-wicket win over Baroda in their Ranji Trophy Group B opener in Cuttack.
Chasing 349 on the fourth day after being shot out for a paltry 88 in the first innings, Bengal rode on the duo of Ahmed and Porel, who stitched an unbroken 108-run partnership for the seventh wicket, to steer the team home.
Resuming on 146 for 2, Bengal suffered an early jolt when skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran got out without any addition to his overnight total of 79 off the fourth ball of the day.
There were familiar jitters in the middle as Bengal lost three quick wickets, including the duo of Sudip Chatterjee (18) and overnight batter Anustup Majumdar (33), in the space of four balls and were reduced to 176 for 5.
Medium pacer Abhimanyusingh Rajput (3/73) revived Baroda's hopes with the double blow.
But Bengal's deputy Sports Minister and former skipper Manoj Tiwary, who made a return to cricket after his foray into politics last year, arrested the slide with a fighting 37 from 61 balls before becoming Rajput's third victim.
Tottering at 242/6, Bengal unearthed a future star in 19-year-old Abhishek, who showed utmost maturity and matched senior partner Shahbaz.
Abhishek hit seven boundaries en route to his maiden fifty. Shahbaz also hit an identical seven fours -- all through the off-side region -- as the pair sealed the issue in 91.3 overs.
"It feels incredible. Wanted to start well for the senior team and, as always, it feels great to win for Bengal. There was some pressure but teammates, seniors helped a lot, and advised to play my normal game.
"Shahbaz da (brother) guided me while we were batting on the wicket. I played according to our plan and played my normal game," Abhishek said about his dream debut.
Bengal skipper Easwaran praised the batters and bowlers for the remarkable comeback.
"Every player has contributed to the cause, as the batters have shown character the bowlers have done commendable jobs too," Abhimanyu said.
"It's about believing in the hard work that we have put in. The best part is even when we had 349 runs to chase, every single member of the team believed that we can do the job.
"Shahbaz has batted with a lot of responsibility, special mention to Abhishek Porel- the character he showed, the attitude he was batting with was great to watch," the skipper added.
Cricket Association of Bengal president Avishek Dalmiya and secretary Snehasish Ganguly congratulated the team after the victory.
"This is a team with the right mixture of youth and experience. It is nice to see youngsters like Abhishek Porel who played exceptionally well in his debut match.
"The team also showed grit, determination and the will to win against all odds. Shahbaz Ahmed once again showed why he is a fabulous finisher in any format of the game.
"Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran led the battle from the front and filled the team with belief. The bowlers also did a fine job restricting Baroda twice. I wish them well in future matches," Dalmiya said.
Snehasish said it's a result of their focus on developing the youth.
"We are putting thrust on youngsters and are doing leagues like T20 League, Under-25 emerging players meet and district meets to scout the young talent and harness their potential and watch them flourish."
"The philosophy is to give them a chance and help them mature. I would also like to congratulate coach Arun Lal, his deputy Sourashis Lahiri and the support staff for their contribution," the CAB secretary added.
Brief Scores:
At Barabati Stadium: Baroda 181 and 255. Bengal 88 and 350/6; 91.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 79, Shahbaz Ahmed 71 not out, Abhishek Porel 53 not out; Abhimanyusingh Rajput 3/73). Bengal won by four wickets.
Points: Bengal 4, Baroda 0.
At Vilas Cricket Ground: Hyderabad 347 and 269/8 declared. Chandigarh 216 and 183; 50.5 overs (Arslan Khan 68; Ravi Teja 6/41). Hyderabad won by 217 runs. Points: Hyderabad 6, Chandigarh 0.
Karnataka-Railways match ends in a draw; J&K starts with win over Pondicherry
Karnataka and Railways played out a draw in a the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match while Jammu and Kashmir began on a winning note, trouncing Pondicherry by eight wickets, in Chennai.
Resuming at 63 for one, Karnataka slipped from 179 for 2 to 223 for 9 before skipper Manish Pandey declared, leaving the opponent with a 278-run target from 41 overs for an improbable victory.
The Railways finished on 69 for 4.
With Mayank Agarwal batting on 39, the focus was on how much the India Test batter could get. Having missed out in the first innings, the right-hander played with a lot of restraint and reached a half-century.
It took a good catch by Akshat Pandey to see the back of Agarwal for 56.
R Samarth batted fluently for his 83 (170 balls, 8 fours) and was involved in a half-century stand for the third wicket with K Siddharth, who hit a ton in the first innings.
After the exit of Siddharth at 179 and then Samarth at 192, the Karnataka innings saw wickets fall quickly and slid to 223 for 9 before Pandey declared.
For Railways, medium-pacer Amit Mishra finished with 4 for 58 while captain Karn Sharma took three wickets.
Railways, in the second innings, slumped to 14 for 3 with debutant Vijayakumar Vyshak (2/16) sending back Mrunal Devdhar (20) and Arindam Ghosh (0).
Vivek Singh (18) batted resolutely along with Mohammad Saif (27 not out) to ensure there were no further alarms.
Karnataka picked three points for their efforts while Railways earned one point.
In the other match of the day, veteran spinner Parvez Rasool finished with a six-wicket haul, dismissing the last Pondicherry batsman to star in Jammu and Kashmir's win.
Resuming at the overnight score of 113 for 9, Pondicherry added 11 runs to the score before Sagar Trivedi (37) became Rasool's sixth victim in the second innings.
Needing 42 runs to begin the season with a win, J&K lost the openers - Qamran Iqbal (8) and Jatin Wadhwan (9) before Shubham Pundir (21 not out) and Ian Dev Singh (6 not out) saw the team home.
Brief Scores:
Karnataka: 481 & 223 for 9 in 63.2 overs (Mayank Agarwal 56, R Samarth 83, K V Siddharth 39, Amit Mishra 4 for 58, Karn Sharma 3 for 47) drew Railways 426 in 128.3 overs (Arindam Ghosh 105, Mohammad Saif 84) and 69 for 4 in 33 overs (Mohammad Saif 27 not out, V Vyshak 2 for 16). Karnataka: 3 points, Railways: 1
Pondicherry: 343 & 124 all out in 45.5 overs (Sagar Trivedi 37, Parvez Rasool six for 29) lost to Jammu and Kashmir 426 in 114.1 overs (Qamran Iqbal 96, Abdul Samad 103) and 45 for 2 in 12.4 overs by eight wickets.
Pujara slams 83-ball 91 to rescue Saurashtra
Less than 24 hours after being dropped from India's Test squad, Cheteshwar Pujara struck an uncharacteristic 83-ball 91 to steer Saurashtra to a draw in their Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai in Ahmedabad.
The Elite Group D match ended in a draw with Saurashtra making 372 for nine in their second innings on the fourth and final day.
Saurashtra were only 48 runs ahead when stumps were drawn but the lack of time meant Mumbai could not go for an outright victory.
So the record 41-time winners settled for three points from the game for taking the first-innings lead while defending champions Saurashtra bagged one.
Bowling his slow left-arm spin to good effect, Shams Mulani returned career-best figures of 7/114, adding to his four wickets in Saurashtra's first innings.
On Saturday, senior batters Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were dropped from the squad for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting March 4 in Mohali after an inconsistent run.
The seasoned Pujara has scored just 602 runs, at 24.08, in 14 Tests over the last year.
Pujara, who last scored a Test century on the 2018-19 tour of Australia, was out for a duck in the first innings of this match, even as Rahane made a hundred.
However, on the final day of the match, Pujara played freely and found the fence at will while maintaining a strike rate of over 100, something very rare when it comes to the man from Rajkot, who is known for his solid defensive game.
In all, Pujara struck 16 fours and a six during his stay in the middle.
Wicketkeeper-opener Snell Patel (98) missed out on a century by just two runs, out caught by Shams Mulani off the bowling of experienced seamer Dhawal Kulkarni.
Patel's opener partner, Harvik Desai made 62 as the duo added 163 runs for the first wicket in a much-improved batting effort.
Pujara added 101 runs for the fourth wicket with Vishvaraj Jadeja, whose contribution in the partnership was a mere 16.
Mumbai scored 544 for 7 declared in their first innings and then enforced the follow-on on Saurashtra after bowling them out for 220.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai: 544/7 declared vs Saurashtra: 220 and 372/9 in 116 overs (Snell Patel 98, Cheteshwar Pujara 91; Shams Mulani 7/114).
Goa: 181 & 394/5d vs Odisha: 189 & 239/7.
Kartikeya's fifer helps Madhya Pradesh rout Gujarat by 106 runs
Left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh returned a five-wicket haul after Shubham Sharma hit a gritty unbeaten ton as Madhya Pradesh recorded an emphatic 106-run win over Gujarat in their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy game, in Rajkot.
Madhya Pradesh had conceded first innings lead to Gujarat but the central team then fought back with gusto, putting 251 in their second essay with Shubham scoring an unbeaten 103.
Kartikeya Singh (5/34) then spun the web around the Gujarat batters, as the team was shot out for a meagre 88 in their second essay in just 37.5 overs.
Gujarat chased a 195-run target for an outright win but none of their batters could make a substantial contribution as they made a beeline to the changing room at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium in Khandheri.
Skipper Priyank Panchal (5) became Kartikeya Singh's first victim and he soon removed one-down Bhargav Merai (0).
Experienced Ishwar Chandra Pandey (2/28) played his part to perfection as he sent back Karan Patel and Manprit Juneja.
Patel's patient 27 only delayed the inevitable but an all-round show from the Aditya Srivastava-led side fetched them six points.
Shubham (2/7) and Gaurav Yadav (1/17) also shared the spoils.
Gujarat next take on Kerala, who thrashed Meghalaya, while MP will square off against Meghalaya, beginning February 24.
Brief Scores:
Madhya Pradesh 274 all out and 251 all out (Shubham Sharma 103 not out, Rajat Patidar 53; Chintan Gaja 6/48, Siddharth Desai 2/42) beat Gujarat 331 all out and 88 all out (Karan Patel 27, Manprit Juneja 13; Kumar Kartikeya Singh 5/34, Shubham Sharma 2/7) by 106 runs.
Rajasthan, Uttarakhand begin Ranji Trophy campaign with victories
Rajasthan opened their campaign in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group E with an emphatic 158-run win over Andhra on the fourth and final day of the match in Thiruvananthapuram.
Chasing 368 for victory, Andhra were bowled out 209 in 53.3 overs with Shubham Sharma (4 for 32) and Aniket Choudhary (3 for 50) doing most of the damage.
Resuming at 100 for four on the final day, Andhra's slim hopes of salvaging the match evaporated quickly as Ricky Bhui fell to Choudhary after having added eight runs to his overnight score.
Yara Sandeep, the other not-out batsman, fell on the same score of 120 when Anirudh Singh had him caught by Tanveer Ul-Haq for 43.
It was all over for Andhra who slipped to 120 for six. Pinnati Tapaswi (44, 6 fours, 1 six) and Manish Golamaru (29) put on 67 runs for the seventh wicket to delay the inevitable.
The last three wickets including that of Tapaswi fell for just one run as Sharma picked up two more scalps while Ul-Haq finished things off by dismissing C V Stephen (0).
In the group's other match, Uttarakhand, who won the toss and sent their opponents Services into bat, bowled them out for 176 in the first innings before making 248 in their outing. Batting a second time, Services only managed 204, leaving their opponents with a victory target of 133.
Skipper Jay Bista remained unbeaten on 87 to guide Uttarakhand to a comfortable nine-wicket win.
Brief Scores:
Services 176 and 204 lost to Uttarakhand 248 and 136 for 1 in 28.3 overs (Jay Bista 87 not out, Kunal Chandela 25 not out) by nine wickets.
Points: Uttarakhand 6, Services 0.
Rajasthan 275 and 316 beat Andhra 224 and 209 all out in 53.3 overs (Pinnati Tapaswi 44, Yara Sandeep 43, Ricky Bhui 39, Shubham Sharma 4 for 32, Aniket Choudhary 3 for 50) by 158 runs.
Points: Rajasthan 6, Andhra 0.
Vasisht, Thakur centuries as HP draw with Punjab
Himachal Pradesh staged a strong fightback lower down the order with centuries from Akash Vasisht and Praveen Thakur to salvage a draw against Punjab in their Ranji Trophy Group F opener at the Kotla, in New Delhi.
Having conceded a 172-run first innings lead, Himachal Pradesh resumed the final day on 151/5, with left-handed all-rounder Vasisht on an overnight score of 36 and he and Thakur stitched a match-saving 172-run partnership for the seventh wicket to eke out a hard-fought draw.
Vasisht slammed 15 boundaries en route to a career-best 140 from 196 balls, while wicketkeeper-batter Thakur struck a fine 103 not out, batting at number eight.
Punjab settled for three points by virtue of their first innings lead, while Himachal Pradesh returned with one point.
Brief Scores:
At Palam A Ground: Haryana 556 and 81/1. Tripura 436; 159 overs (Samit Gohel 122, Rajat Dey 67).
Match drawn. Points Haryana 3. Tripura 1.
At Arun Jaitley Stadium: Himachal Pradesh 354 and 402/8; 115.4 overs (Akash Vasisht 140, Praveen Thakur 103 not out, Nikhil Gangta 42). Punjab 526. Match drawn.
Points: Punjab 3, Himachal Pradesh 1.
