Hyderabad suffer humiliating defeat

Defending champions Baroda inflicted a humiliating innings and 256 runs defeat on Hyderabad in a Ranji Trophy quarter-final match at the GSFC grounds in Baroda on Friday.

Resuming at its overnight score of 84 for eight, Hyderabad were bundled out for a paltry 127 runs as Ajit Bhoite captured the last two wickets.

Hyderabad skipper V V S Laxman remained not out on 53, which had 11 hits to the fence.

Laxman and Vishnu Vardhan, the two not out batsmen who resumed batting on Friday morning, added 38 runs for the ninth wicket before Vardhan (20) departed.

Laxman then added another 30 runs with N S Singh for the last wicket but in the end it was of little use.

Baroda will take on the winner of Orissa vs Punjab match in the semi-finals, starting on February 14.

Punjab in control; set Orissa a target of 463

Punjab tightened the noose on their Ranji Trophy quarter-final match against Orissa, setting the visitors a target of 463 on the penultimate day in Mohali on Friday.

Resuming at the overnight score of 357 for six, Punjab added 103 runs before losing the wickets of their tailenders who did a commendable job in stretching the total.

Harbhajan Singh (43), Ishan Malhotra (13), Vineet Sharma (47) and S Kakkar (78) helped themselves to some useful runs to post a formidable 460 in their second knock.

However, Punjab's first innings lead of seven runs was cut short to two as Orissa were awarded five penalty runs by the match referee. Treading on the pitch by Kakkar while taking a run cost them the penalty, follwing which Orissa's first innings score was revised to 205 in reply to the hosts' 207.

Orissa were placed at 26 for no loss in their second essay when stumps were drawn for the day.

B B C C Mohapatra (16) and Shiv Sundar Das (8) were at the crease.

Earlier, 45 minutes of play was lost due to bad light and drizzle.

Tamil Nadu remain in hunt

Tamil Nadu opener Sridharan Sriram tore apart the Railways attack enroute to a swashbuckling unbeaten 107 as the visitors kept their hopes alive of a semi-final berth on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Delhi on Friday.

Sriram, a player in the classic mould, butchered the Railways attack in company of Madanagopal (56) to take his team to 204 for the loss of two wickets by stumps.

After a delayed start due to fog, Railways added just four runs to their overnight score of 419 for nine as L Balaji clean bowled Sanjay Bangar (212). Bangar could add only one run to his overnight score.

The Tamil Nadu openers showed urgency in scoring as Sadagopan Ramesh and Sriram scored at almost four runs per over.

Ramesh (22), trying to execute an amibitious pull, was caught plumb in front of the wicket by Kulamani Parida just after lunch.

Madanagopal joined a belligerent Sriram and both scored at a fast clip as Railway bowlers found it hard to check the run flow.

Sriram, who was out for a duck in the first innings, soon reached his fifty with a single off Murali Kartik and continued to play his wristy shots all over the ground.

The stocky Chennai left-hander completed a well-deserved hundred in four hours, off 152 balls, laced with 13 elegant fours, when he drove Sanjay Bangar to mid-on for two runs.

At the other end, Madanagopal completed his 50 with a single off Kartik but lost his wicket soon as his hook off Harvinder was taken by Parida at mid-off.

Bengal batsmen consolidate

After having taken a 32-run first innings lead, hosts Bengal consolidated their position by reaching a comfortabke 279 for three in their second innings at close on the penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy quarter- final against Gujarat at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday.

Resuming at their overnight score of two for no loss, the Bengal batsmen tightened the noose around Gujarat as Deep Dasgupta (84), Devang Gandhi (82) and captain Rohan Gavaskar (74 not out) slammed half centuries to take their overall lead to 311 runs.

The hosts lost debutant opener Amitava Chakraborty early in the morning but Deep Dasgupta and Devang Gandhi ensured that there were no further setbacks with a sparkling 149-run second wicket partnership.

With the track offering very little to the bowlers, none of the Bengal batsmen seemed to be in trouble at all as they managed to score the runs at a fairly brisk pace right through the day.

Young Subhomoy Das (21 not out), who came in to bat at number five in place of Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who is down with fever, was giving Gavaskar company when play was called off early because of poor light.

The Bengal captain was in an aggressive mood as he clobbered the hapless Gujarat bowlers all over the park during his unfinished knock of 74 which came off just 81 balls.

Earlier reports:
Day 3 round-up: Zaheer, Martin put Baroda in command
Day 2 round-up: Martin, Williams put Baroda in command
Day 1 round-up: Sanyal rallies Bangal; Laxman props Hyderabad

Mail Cricket Editor