Seamers Mukesh Choudhary and Rajneesh Gurbani struck lethal blows as Maharashtra thumped Baroda by a whopping 439-run margin in a Group A league match, a result that kept defending champions Mumbai alive for the knock-out stage of Ranji Trophy, in Nasik on Sunday.
Trying to save the game and get a point in the bargain was Baroda's primary objective on the final day as chasing 617 was simply out of question but they failed miserably and were all out for just 177 in 36 overs.
Former CSK left-arm seamer Mukesh took 5 for 76 while Gurbani, who has switched first-class side from Vidarbha to Maharashtra had 3 for 54 to show for his efforts.
Jammu and Kashmir are on top of group A with 29 points from six games followed by Baroda, who are on 27 points from equal number of matches. Mumbai remained on 22 from six games after their defeat to J&K on Saturday.
However Ruturaj Gaikwad's Maharashtra has created an opening for the 42-time champions as Baroda will now have to at least get a first innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir in their final game.
If Baroda gets three points, then both Baroda and Jammu and Kashmir, with 30 points each will qualify for the knock-out stages while Mumbai will be out in the group league stage itself.
Mumbai play their last match against wooden spooners Meghalaya, who will be relegated to 'Plate Group' having lost all their six games.
It is expected that Mumbai, who will play at BKC will thump the minnows and get another seven points from the game, which will take their tally to 29 from seven games.
But to qualify for Mumbai will need Jammu and Kashmir to at least take a first innings lead if not win outright, which will take their tally to 32 and Baroda will be stuck at 28.
In case Jammu and Kashmir lose and stay put on 29 and Mumbai win with bonus points, then net run rate (NRR) will be the deciding factor.
None of the other five teams-- Tripura, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Services, Odisha have any chance of qualification.
Brief Scores
In Nasik:
Maharashtra 297 and 464/7 decl. Baroda 145 and (target 617) 177 in 36 overs (Mukesh Choudhary 5/73, Rajneesh Gurbani 3/54). Maharashtra won by 439 runs. Points: Maharashtra 6 Baroda 0.
In Agartala:
Tripura 212 and 375/7 decl (Mandeep Singh 124 not out, Bikramkumar Das 85, S Sharath 66).
Services 294 and (target 276) 101 in 19.1 overs (Ravi Chauhan 53). Match Drawn. Points: Tripura 1 Services 3
In Shillong:
Meghalaya 198 and 294 in 92.2 overs (JS Sachdeva 82, Sunil Roul 4/61).
Odisha 548/7 decl. Odisha won by an innings and 56 runs.
Wadkar, Dubey star as Vidarbha stage comeback to thrash Rajasthan by 221 runs
Skipper Akshay Wadkar's brilliant century and spinner Harsh Dubey's 10-wicket match haul steered Vidarbha to a stunning 221-run victory over Rajasthan in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B game in Jaipur.
Captain Wadkar (139), Yash Rathod (98), and all-rounder Nachiket Bhute (87) played crucial knocks in the second innings, guiding Vidarbha to a commanding total of 428/9 declared.
Left-arm spinner Dubey (5/51 in 19 overs) then sealed the match with his outstanding performance, completing a 10-wicket haul as Rajasthan were bowled out for just 107, despite Vidarbha starting with a 100-run first-innings deficit.
The win earned Vidarbha (36) six points, solidifying their position at the top of the points table.
In a tricky situation in the second essay, Wadkar first partnered with Rathod to forge a vital 94-run stand.
After Rathod, who fell agonisingly short of his century, was dismissed, Wadkar and Bhute put on a massive 172-run partnership that firmly put Vidarbha in control.
Resuming at their overnight score of 358/7, Vidarbha added 70 more runs on day four before declaring their innings, setting Rajasthan a daunting target of 329 runs.
Wadkar's 269-ball innings featured 14 fours and a six, while Bhute struck six fours and three sixes in his entertaining knock.
The 22-year-old Dubey and off spinner Akshay Wakhare (3/2 in 6.3 overs) then dismantled Rajasthan's batting lineup, sharing eight wickets between them to bowl out the hosts in just 43.3 overs.
Rajasthan began their chase on a steady note, with both openers looking comfortable. However, Shubham Kapse provided Vidarbha with the breakthrough, dismissing opener Zubair Ali (22).
Dubey, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, struck again, dismissing Abhijeet Romar and Deepak Hooda in quick succession.
Rajasthan continued to lose wickets at regular intervals as Dubey and Wakhare bowled superbly in tandem, sealing a comprehensive victory for Vidarbha.
In other Group B matches, Andhra drew with Puducherry while Hyderbad defeated Himachal Pradesh by an innings in 43 runs.
Brief Scores
In Jaipur: Vidarbha 165 and 428/9d in 138.1 overs (Akshay Wadkar 139, Yash Rathod 98, Nachiket Bhute 87; Kukna Ajay Singh 5/104) defeated
Rajasthan 265 and 107 all out in 43.3 overs (Zubair Ali 22; Harsh Dubey 5/51) by 221 runs.
In Puducherry: Andhra 303 and 319/6d in 82.4 overs (Karan Shinde 119 not out; Ankit Sharma 3/83) drew with Puducherry 260 and 152/0 in 46 overs (Ganga Sridhar Raju 75 not out, Jay Pande 59 not out; Lalit Mohan 0/39)
In Hyderabad: Hyderabad 565 in 168.5 overs beat Himachal Pradesh 275 & 247 (Shubham Arora 66, Ankit Kalso 44; Tanay Thyagarajan 6/118, Anikethreddy 4/46) by innings an 43 runs.
Shivam Sharma's five-for guides UP to an innings win against Bihar; Kerala salvage draw against MP
Left-arm spinner Shivam Sharma picked up five wickets as Uttar Pradesh bowled out Bihar for 236 to secure an innings and 119-run victory, their first in six games, in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Patna.
Needing 225 runs to force Uttar Pradesh to bat again, Bihar resumed their second innings at 130 for 5, hoping for a remarkable recovery to salvage a draw. However, they could manage only 106 more runs before being dismissed.
Uttar Pradesh, who had declared their first innings at a massive 603 for 2, put up a clinical bowling performance to finish off Bihar's innings with ease.
Overnight batters Ayush Loharuka and Sachin Kumar put up a dogged show in the first session, taking Bihar to 176 for 5 in 71 overs. But Shivam Sharma made the crucial breakthrough when he trapped Loharuka in front after lunch, triggering a collapse.
Sachin completed his half-century before being run out by Shivam Mavi, as Bihar slipped to 191 for 7. Sharma then took the wickets of Himanshu Singh (16) and Nawaz Khan (0) off successive deliveries in the 88th over, with skipper Veer Pratap Singh (29) being the last man dismissed.
With this win, Uttar Pradesh gained seven points, bringing their total to 13, and moved to fifth place in Group C. Haryana (26 points) are on top of the group, followed by Karnataka (19).
Meanwhile, Bihar, after suffering their fifth loss, remain at the bottom of the table.
Uttar Pradesh will meet Madhya Pradesh, while Bihar next play Kerala in their final game.
Kerala's valiant fight earns three points with first-innings lead
Kerala fought valiantly to secure three points, thanks to their first-innings lead, after drawing their Group C match against Madhya Pradesh in Thiruvananthapuram.
Set a daunting target of 363 to win, Kerala began the final day at 28 for 1 but quickly found themselves in trouble, slipping to 47 for 5. However, a spirited lower-order fightback helped them finish at 268 for 8, saving the match and securing the points.
Mohammad Azharuddeen (68) and Jalaj Saxena (32) provided the initial resistance with a 74-run partnership before the latter was dismissed.
Azharuddeen then joined forces with Aditya Sarwate (80), and together they added 90 more runs, keeping Kerala in the hunt.
Azharuddeen's departure, clean bowled by pacer Kuldeep Sen (3/64), brought Baba Aparajith to the crease, and he, along with Sarwate, added another 37 runs.
Sarwate's dismissal by Kumar Kartikeya (3/106) didn't deter Aparajith, who, along with number 10 MD Nidheesh (4), held firm to salvage the draw.
With this result, Kerala accumulated 18 points, occupying third place, while Madhya Pradesh, with 10 points, remained near the bottom of the table.
Brief Scores:
At Patna: Bihar 248 & 236 in 90.4 overs (Sachin Kumar 50; Shivam Sharma 5/58) lost by an innings and 119 runs to Uttar Pradesh 603 for 2 declared.
At Thiruvananthapuram: Madhya Pradesh 160 & 369 for 8 declared in 101 overs drew with Kerala 167 and 268 for 8 in 104 overs (Mohammed Azharuddeen 68, Aditya Sarwate 80; Kuldeep Sen 3/64).
Tamil Nadu inch closer to knock-out stage with thumping win against Chandigarh
A dominant Tamil Nadu kept one foot on the knock-out door with a commanding 209 run victory over Chandigarh in a group D match of the Ranji Trophy in Salem, Tamil Nadu.
Left-arm spinners Ajith Ram (4/89 in 19 overs) and R Sai Kishore (4/62 in 21 overs) shared bulk of spoils as Chandigarh were shot out for 193 in pursuit of an improbable 403 on the final day. Veteran Manan Vohra carried his bat through with an unbeaten 100 but eight of his batters failed to reach double digits.
Tamil Nadu now have 25 points from six games. In their final group match against Jharkhand in Jamshedpur, they will need at least one point to secure their qualification for the next stage of the National First-Class Championship.
Group D has presented some intriguing possibilities with an open-ended points table. Despite the defeat, Chandigarh remains in contention with 19 points and a final game against Chattisgarh in Raipur where they need to win outright (25) or with a bonus point (26) to remain in contention for knock-out stages.
In case they get a first innings lead (22 points), it could be curtains for them considering the quality of opposition in the last round for Tamil Nadu and Saurashtra.
Saurashtra, which beat Delhi in just one and half days are currently third in the table with 18 points and have the best chance of getting another seven on an under-prepared track at Rajkot where they will get Assam as an opposition.
In a situation where Tamil Nadu lose their match outright and Saurashtra win with bonus points, both will be on 25 points. It will then be decided on NRR as both TN and Saurashtra have two bonus point victories in league stages.
As far as Delhi (14 points) and Railways (17 points) are concerned, they both need bonus points in theory but that might not be enough in the end.
Brief Scores
In Salem: Tamil Nadu 301 and 305/5. Chandigarh 204 and (target 403) 193 (Manan Vohra 100, Ajith Ram 4/89, R Sai Kishore 4/62). TN won by 209 runs. Points: TN 6. Chandigarh 0.
In Guwahati: Railways 250 and 124/5 (B Vivek Singh 52). Assam 216 ( Kunal Yadav 5/65, Himanshu Sangwan 4/59). Match Drawn. Points: Railways 3. Assam 1.
In Jamshedpur: Chattisgarh 230 and 250 (Anuj Tiwary 66, Ashutosh Singh 64, Vikash Singh 4/30). Jharkhand 376 and (target 105) 105/2 (Kumar Suraj 59 not out). Jharkhand won by 8 wickets.
Points: Jharkhand 6. Chattisgarh 0.
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