Ranji round-up: Tyagi shines for Railways

A round-up of Ranji matches played on Wednesday

Riding on an unbeaten fifty by young Harsh Tyagi, Railways lead Saurashtra by 130 runs at stumps on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy game against hosts Saurashtra in Rajkot on Wednesday.

For Railways, Tyagi was impressive in the second outing with his unbeaten innings of 73 in 182-balls.

While all others batters failed, 18-year-old Tyagi kept the score-board ticking.

His knock ensured that Railways managed to get past the 250-run-mark and ended the third day on 278/8.

After opting to bat, Railways were bowled out for 200 in their first outing.

Saurashtra then took a crucial 148-run first-innings lead with Ravindra Jadeja remaining unbeaten on 178 as they posted 348 on the board.

Resuming the day on 344/8, Saurashtra managed to add just four runs.

But their bowlers rose to the occasion in the second innings, grabbing eight wickets and keeping afloat chances of an outright win.

Slow-arm left-arm orthodox bowler Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (4-79) did the bulk of the damage. Ravindra Jadeja claimed 3 wickets but conceded 104 runs.

Come Thursday, Saurashtra will aim to scuttle out Railways as quickly as possible and then chase the target.

Brief Scores: At Rajkot: Railways 200 and 278/8 (Harsh Tyagi 73 not out; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 4-79) vs Saurashtra 348 all out (Ravindra Jadeja 178 not out; Harsh Tyagi 3-78).

Railways lead by 130 runs.

At Vadodara:Baroda 322 and 367/3 (Vishnu Solanki 156 batting, Kedar Devdhar 91) vs Maharashtra 268 all out (Naushad Shaikh 65, Chirag Khurana 56; Swapnil Singh 5-78). Baroda lead by 421 runs.

At Valsad: Gujarat 538/7 Declared (Dhruv Raval 116 not out, Manprit Juneja 107, Vishal Kushwah 3-92) vs Chhattisgarh 366/7 (Vishal Kushwah 117 batting, Harpreet Singh Bhatia 110; Arzan Nagwasalla 3-66). Chhattisgarh trail by 172 runs.

At Nagpur: Vidarbha 307 and 72/2 (Ganesh Satish 24 batting, Wasim Jaffer 21 batting) vs Karnataka 378 all out (Dega Nischal 113, B R Sharath 103; Aditya Sarvate 5-91). Vidarbha lead by 1-run.

Abhinav Mukund's ton leads TN reply to massive Hyderabad total

Tirunelveli (TN): Test discard Abhinav Mukund led Tamil Nadu's riposte to Hyderabad's massive first innings total of 565 for 8 declared with a superb ton (101 batting) as the host reached 163 for 2 at stumps on day three of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match on Wednesday.

Hyderabad skipper P Akshath Reddy could add only two runs to his overnight score of 248 and the team declared at 565 after C V Milind (33 not out) and Mehdi Hasan (14 not out) put on 27 runs for the ninth wicket.

M Mohammed was the best bowler for Tamil Nadu, picking up 3 for 102 while K Vignesh and Rahil Shah scalped two each.

Tamil Nadu skipper B Indrajith used eight bowlers in the innings as the visiting batsmen piled on their misery on a flat wicket.

Left-handed opener Mukund looked in fine form, striking the ball all round the wicket. He and fellow opener M Kaushik Gandhi (21 off 117 balls, 1X4) put on 80 runs to set the platform for Tamil Nadu. Mukund was the dominant partner as he reached his 50 in 116 deliveries. He was on the lookout for runs despite losing Gandhi and No.3 batsman B Aparajith (4). Both wickets were taken by C V Milind (2 for 19).

Mukund, who has so far hit 15 fours, and captain B Indrajith (24 batting) added 69 runs and saw the team through to close of play without any further slip-ups.

Brief scores: Hyderabad 565 for 8 in 186 overs (Akshath Reddy 250, B Sandeep 130; M Mohammed 3 for 102, K Vignesh 2 for 102) vs Tamil Nadu 163 for 2 in 79 overs (Abhinav Mukund 101 batting; C V Milind 2 for 19).

At Thiruvananthapuram: Andhra Pradesh 254 in 99.4 overs (Ricky Bhui 109, Shiv Charan Singh 45; Akshay KC 4 for 64) and 102 for 8 in 46 overs (Jalaj Saxena 7 for 44) vs Kerala 328 all out in 119.2 overs (Jalaj Saxena 133, K B Arun Karthick 56, Rohan Prem 49, Manish Golamaru 3 for 81, Shoaib Mohamed 3 for 89).

MP reach 254/5 courtesy Ojha vs Bengal

Kolkata: Skipper Naman Ojha cracked a patient half-century with Madhya Pradesh making a strong reply against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fixture here Wednesday.

Ojha held their innings together with his 151-ball 74 before getting out to part-time leg-spinner Anustup Majumdar, who took two wickets in two overs (2/20) to raise hopes of another three points.

At close on the penultimate day, MP were 254/5, trailing Bengal by 256 runs. Yash Dubey (20*) and Ankit Sharma (9*) were at the crease.

Earlier Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda (2/42) dismissed both the MP openers, Aryaman Birla (12) and Ankit Dane (38), as MP were 65/2 inside the first hour's play.

But Ojha stayed on, stitching two fifty-plus partnerships with Rajat Patidar (49) and Shubham Sharma (45) in the first and second sessions respectively.

Fresh from his career-best 196 against Tamil Nadu, MP No 3 Patidar batted well before being bowled by off-spinner Aamir Gani one run short of a half-century just after the lunch break.

Sharma then gave Ojha fine support as they made Bengal bowlers toil in an 88-run partnership. With Bengal going for an extra batsman, there was extra load on the four-bowling attack as they struggled to get a breakthrough.

"You have to take pressure. I am prepared to take the extra load. One bowler short did not affect," Dinda said after the day three's proceedings.

"It's about going slowly. First all about securing three points, then we will think about six points."

The Bengal pacer said he has no complaints about the wicket.

"I don't think it's a bad wicket. One of their bowlers (Shubham Sharma) has taken five wickets. Our batsman (Manoj Tiwary) has got a double century. We have to do well. Fourth day will be a different wicket. The first hour will be crucial."

His pace bowling partners Ishan Porel and B Amit failed to take any wickets and were a bit more expensive.

"I have 108 matches, while they have played seven matches each. You have to give them time. I have lots of confidence. They are brand new, they will learn with experience."

Skipper Manoj Tiwary had to try out different options as he brought on Anustup. The move clicked as dismissed both Ojha and Sharma in two overs to revive Bengal's hope.

Brief Scores: Bengal 510 for 9 declared in 149.3 overs (Manoj Tiwary 201 not out, Koushik Ghosh 100, A R Easwran 86; Shubham Sharma 5 for 59) vs Madhya Pradesh 254 for 5 in 86 overs (Naman Ojha 74, Rajat Patidar 49; Anustup Majumdar 2 for 20).

Shorey ton puts Delhi in sight of outright victory against Himachal

New Delhi: Dhruv Shorey's fourth first-class century put Delhi firmly in sight of an outright victory against Himachal Pradesh in an opening round group B Ranji Trophy encounter on Wednesday.

Shorey scored his fourth first-class hundred -- 106 not out off 177 balls as Delhi declared their second innings at 281 for 4, leaving HP with a stiff target of 376.

Earlier, Delhi dismissed HP for 223 in their first innings taking a first innings lead of 94 runs and also ensuring at least three points.

At stumps on the third day, Himachal were 44 for 1 with their best bet Prashant Chopra being dismissed by Ishant Sharma (1/14 in 5 overs).

With 332 needed on the final day, it will be more about how Himachal survive against left-arm spin duo of Vikas Mishra and Varun Sood on a fourth day track with considerable wear and tear.

Not to forget that Ishant will also bowl full tilt in short spells and is more dangerous on these kind of tracks. Other seamer Kulwant Khejroliya is expected to stem the flow of runs.

In the morning, after quickly disposing off the remaining two HP batsmen for an addition of seven runs, Delhi got off to a brisk start courtesy Gautam Gambhir (49, 52 balls) and Hiten Dalal (25, 32 balls), who added 64 in only 10.5 overs.

Opening bowlers Rishi Dhawan (0/37 in 10 overs) and Pankaj Jaiswal (0/33 in five overs) were hit for a flurry of boundaries.

Once Dalal and Gambhir were gone, Shorey and skipper Nitish Rana (32) added 62 for the third wicket.

Shorey, a surprise exclusion from India A's tour to New Zealand, hit 10 boundaries and two sixes. The second six brought up his fourth first-class hundred as he keeps on maintaining a healthy 50 plus average.

He added 50 with Himmat Singh (26), who hit three sixes and 67 for the unbroken  fifth wicket stand with wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat (21 no) as Delhi finished with an overall lead of 375.

Brief Scores: Delhi 317 and 281/4 decl (Dhruv Shorey 106 no, Gautam Gambhir 49) vs Himachal Pradesh 223 and (target 376) 44/1 (Ishant Sharma 1/14 in 5 overs).

MP 254/5 (Naman Ojha 74, Ashok Dinda 2/42, Anustup Majumdar 2/20) vs Andhra 254 and 102/8 (Jalaj Saxena 7/44).

Jammu and Kashmir trail Goa by 222 runs

Porvorim: Jammu and Kashmir have a mountain to climb as they trail Goa by 222 runs at stumps on Day 3 of their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy game here Wednesday.

Asked to bat first, Goa rode on a century by opener Snehal Kauthankar (130) to post a mammoth 468/9 (declared) in their first innings.

Kauthankar, batting at his over-night score of 106, added another 24 runs to his tally and remained unbeaten.

He laced his knock with 24 boundaries.

Jammu and Kashmir had an uphill task to gain a first-innings lead, but they slumped to 246/7 at stumps on the penultimate day of the four-day game.

For J&K, their opener Shubham Khajuria (53) struck a half-century, but three other top-order batsmen, Ahmad Omar Bandey (25), Ian Chauhan (37) and Paras Sharma (22), failed to convert their starts into big scores.

But all-rounder and skipper Irfan Pathan, who came in at number 7, remained unbeaten on 42 and will look to hold the fort on the last day.

Left-handed Pathan has company of Amir Aziz (22 batting) but with just three wickets remaining Goa are looking poised to take the first innings lead.

For Goa, Lakshay Garg (2-77) and Amogh Desai (2-23) picked two wickets each.

Brief Scores: Goa 468/9 Declared (Snehal Kauthankar 130 not out, Sumiran Amonkar 73; Irfan Pathan 3-69) vs Jammu and Kashmir 246/7 (Shubham Khajuria 53, Irfan Pathan 42 batting, Amogh Desai 2-23). Jammu and Kashmir trail by 222 runs. 

At Bhubaneswar: Odisha 256 and 180/7 (Sandeep Pattnaik 46, Shivam Mavi 3-43) vs Uttar Pradesh 437 all out (Aksh Deep Nath 159, Basant Mohanty 6-62). Odisha trail by 1 run.

At Agartala:Assam 327 and 239/6 Declared (Riyan Parag 80) versus Tripura 139 and 68/4 (S K Patel 20, Ranjeet Mali 2-30). Tripura need 360 runs to win.

At Jaipur: Services 228 and 264 (Rahul Singh Gahlaut 107) against Rajasthan 136 and 95/0 (A V Gautam 53 batting, Chetan Bist 39 batting). Rajasthan need 262 runs to win.

Sikkim, Uttarakhand secure successive wins

Dehradun: Deepak Dhapola returned with a match haul of 13 wickets as Uttarakhand secured their second straight victory in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group beating Manipur by eight wickets here Wednesday.

Uttarakhand lost opener Karanveer Kaushal (18), No 3 Vaibhav Bhatt (27) but Vineet Saxena remaining unbeaten on 32 to steer them home in 17.5 overs to help them bag six points.

Uttarakhand had beaten Bihar with a bonus point in their last match here with Dhapola claiming 6/13 and 3/48.

In Dimapur, Sikkim also registered their second win in their debut season beating hosts Nagaland by nine wickets.

Sikkim have 13 points along with Uttarakhand but the former occupy the pole position in the Plate Group on the basis of better net run-rate.

Dhapola, who ripped apart Manipur in the first innings with a 7/50, returned with 5/46 as he along with Sunny Rana, who bagged an identical 5/46.

Manipur had four ducks in their innings and with the wicket of skipper Yashpal Singh for 15 – taken by Sunny – Manipur slumped to 164/8, thus losing seven wickets for just 21 runs.

Manipur were eventually bowled out for 185 in the second essay, setting Uttarkhand a target of 95.

Sikkim were set a paltry target 79 as skipper Nilesh Lamichaney remained unbeaten on 33 alongside Ashish Thapa (27 no) to win in 25.4 overs.

Former Delhi batsman Milind Kumar was their star player with second successive double century that gave them a 195-run first innings lead.

Nagaland put up a strong show in their second essay with KB Pawan's 134 and Imliwati Lemtur's 61 as they finished at 273 in their second innings.

Brief Scores: In Dehradun: Manipur 137 and 185; 74.4 overs (Lakhan Rawat 82; Deepak Dhapola 5/46, Sunny Rana 5/46) lost to Uttarakhand 228 and 99/2; 17.5 overs (Vineet Saxena 32 not out) by eight wickets. Points: Uttarakhand 6, Manipur 0.

In Dimapur: Nagaland 179 and 273; 95 overs (KB Pawan 134, Imliwati Lemtur 61; Ishwar Chaudhary 5/70, Bipul Sharma 3/67) lost to Sikkim 374 and 81/1; 25.4 overs (Nilesh Lamichaney 33 not out) by nine wickets. Points: Sikkim 6, Nagaland 0.

In Jorhat: Arunachal Pradesh 220 and 331; 96 overs (Neelam Obi 80, K Yangfo 58, Kshitiz Sharma 57; Khadir 3/81) vs Mizoram 142 and 244/2 (Akhil Rajput 124, Taruwar Kohli 85.

In Puducherry: Puducherry 389 and 95/4 (Marimuthu Viknesh 47; Gurinder Singh 4/29) vs Meghalaya 326 (Yogesh Nagar 141 not out, Puneet Bisht 58; Pankaj Singh 6/39).