A round-up of Ranji Trophy matches played across India on Monday
A brilliant effort by the bowlers enabled Mumbai take a slender eight-run first innings lead over Uttar Pradesh by bundling them out for 225 on day two of their Ranji Trophy Group A match in Mysuru.
In reply to Mumbai's first innings total of 233, UP resumed the day on 22 for one and lost wickets at regular interval.
Medium pacer Tushar Deshpande took three for 66, while Abhishek Nayar (2/19), Vishal Dabholkar (2/26) and Aditya Dhumal (2/33) chipped in with two scalps each to run through the UP batting line-up.
Only Rinku Singh and lower-order batsman Kuldeep Yadav scored a half-century each but could not take the team past Mumbai's modest first innings total.
Rinku Singh's 70 came off 148 deliveries that included eight hits to the fence, while Kuldeep Yadav hit a 50 off 104 balls with the help of five fours and a six.
Imtiaz Ahmed (19) also played a crucial knock lower down but still failed to acquire a lead for Uttar Pradesh.
In their second innings, Mumbai did not get off to an ideal start, losing two wickets -- Kaustubh Pawar (29) and Dhumal (0) -- to finish the day on 51 for two in 24 overs.
At stumps, opener Akhil Herwadkar was batting on 15 and giving him company at the other end was Shreyas Iyer on three.
Brief scores:
Mumbai: 233 & 51 for two in 24 overs
Uttar Pradesh 1st innings: 225 all out in 76.1 overs (Rinku Singh 70, Kuldeep Yadav 50; Tushar Deshpande 3/66, Abhishek Nayar 2/19, Vishal Dabholkar 2/26).
Karnataka in command after huge 1st innings lead vs Rajasthan
Karnataka seamers R Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Aravind hunted in pair as their incisive swing bowling put the title contenders in pole position against Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy group league encounter.
Courtesy Vinay's 4/28 and Aravind's 4/36, Karnataka dismissed Rajasthan for 148 in reply to their first innings score of 374.
Skipper Vinay Kumar decided against enforcing a follow-on despite taking a 226-run first innings lead.
In the second innings, Karnataka were 78 for no loss as their total lead swelled to 304 runs.
Opener Ravikumar Samarth (46 batting, 44 balls) and Lokesh Rahul (32 batting, 46 balls) played fluently.
Rahul who is all set for a comeback to the national team hit four boundaries and a six. Most of his big hits came off debutant leg-spinner Salman Khan for a six apart from a couple of boundaries.
Having scored 76 off 85 balls in the first innings, Rahul's fluency after his comeback must have impressed chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, who is here to watch the match.
That he had also fielded for 54 overs is a testimony that he has recovered well from his hamstring injury that put him out of action after the first Test against New Zealand at Kanpur.
Brief Scores: Karnataka 374 and 78/0 (KL Rahul 32 batting, RK Samarth 46 batting) vs Rajasthan 1st Innings 148 (Pranay Sharma 26; R Vinay Kumar 4/28, S Aravind 4/36).
Steady start by TN after Sudip ton takes Bengal to 337
Rajkot: Left-hander Sudip Chatterjee battled hamstring problems before scoring a gutsy century as Bengal posted a decent first innings score of 337 against Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy group A encounter.
At stumps, Tamil Nadu were 60 for 1 having lost opener MS Washington Sundar (4), bowled by Ashoke Dinda.
Bengal started the day at 190 for 3 and left-hander Agniv Pan (59) was bowled by Thangarasu Natarajan with the second new ball in the fifth over of the day.
Chetterjee, who had hobbled out yesterday on a personal score of 34 after suffering from a pulled hamstring, walked in at Agniv's departure.
He played cautiously in the company of Shreevats Goswami (35) as the duo added 44 runs for the fifth wicket.
Goswami hit six boundaries before an angle delivery from Krishnamoorthy Vignesh saw him edge one to Narayan Jagadeesan behind the stumps.
Chatterjee continued calmly hitting the occasional boundaries and also taking the singles. He hit nine boundaries in all as he reached his 7th first-class hundred in 249 deliveries.
He found a valuable partner in Ashok Dinda (21), with whom he added 42 runs as the duo took the score past 300 runs. Pragyan Ojha (14) also contributed a bit with the bat which all added to the final score.
The 25-year-old Chatterjee has been one of Bengal's most consistent batsman in recent times. He had surpassed half-century mark in all of Bengal's previous three games with scores of 73 (vs UP), 51 (vs Punjab) and 85 (vs Railways) but the three-mark was eluding him this season.
For Tamil Nadu, Vignesh was the most successful bowler with 4/70 in 32 overs while left-arm spinner R Aushik Srinivas had 3/67 in 36 overs.
When Tamil Nadu batted, skipper Abhinav Mukund was caution personified as he scored only 19 off 74 balls which had four boundaries. Mukund played a lot of dot balls -- 67 in all as he was more intent on either dead batting or leaving deliveries outside the off-stump.
One drop Kaushik Gandhi was a bit more attacking reaching 25 off 50 balls with three boundaries as the duo added 55 runs in 20.1 overs for the unbroken second wicket stand.
Brief Scores:Bengal 1st Innings 337 (Sudip Chatterjee 100, Agniv Pan 59, Manoj Tiwary 56, Krishnamoorthy Vignesh 4/70).
Tamil Nadu 1st Innings: 60/1 (Abhinav Mukund 19 batting, Kaushik Gandhi 25 batting, Ashok Dinda 1/21).
Maharashtra take 273-run lead vs Vidarbha
Kolkata: Vidarbha bounced back strongly after first innings debacle but Maharashtra still maintained their edge with a huge first innings lead in their Ranji Trophy group B encounter.
Rookie Vidarbha pacer Lalit Yadav (5/81) claimed his second successive five-wicket haul with good support from seasoned Shrikant Wagh (4/82) as Maharashtra were bowled out for 332 in 86.1 overs. They lost the last seven wickets for 92 runs to fold at lunch on day two but not before having a huge lead of 273 runs.
Having skittled for 59, Vidarbha batted with resolve on an eased-out Eden track with a 141-run opening stand between Sanjay Ramaswamy (67, 12x4) and India internationl Faiz Fazal (53 batting; 7x4) to reduce the deficit to 132 runs.
The day belonged to Yadav, who impressed with his pace and accuracy as the strapping young lad added three more to his overnight tally.
Shrikant Wagh (4/82) gave the breakthrough in the fifth over of the day dismissing overnight centurion Naushad Shaikh for 127 (22x4, 1x6) to break his massive 201-run stand with Ankit Bawne (111; 14x4, 2x6).
Having claimed the prized scalp of Kedar Jadhav on Sunday, Yadav gave back to back blows in the two unsettled batsmen Rahul Tripathi (0) and Vishant More (0) to rattle Maharashtra to 261/6.
"The conditions are such that the ball does a lot of movement initially but after lunch it eases up. I was looking to hit the right areas and thankfully it worked for me," Yadav said.
Brief Scores: Vidarbha 1st Innings 59 and 2nd Innings 141/1; 44 overs (Faiz Fazal 53 batting, Sanjay Ramaswamy 67) vs Maharashtra 1st Innings 332; 86.1 overs (Naushad Shaikh 127, Ankit Bawne 111; Lalit Yadav 5/81).
B Sandeep hits double ton as Hyderabad declare at 580/9
Mumbai: Young left-handed batman Bavanaka Sandeep scored a brilliant double century to help Hyderabad post a mammoth 580 for nine declared on day two of their Group C Ranji Trophy encounter against Services.
Resuming on 303 for seven at the MCA's Bandra Kurla complex ground, Sandeep and another left-handed batsman C V Milind, who also hit a blistering 136, made the Services bowlers to toil hard as they added over 120 runs at a brisk pace till lunch.
Sandeep, who resumed at his overnight score of 83, swiftly moved to 90s. He was lucky when he edged on 95, but the ball went through the wicket-keeper Nakul Verma and the first slip. He eventually remained unbeaten on 203.
Milind, on the other hand, got two 'lives' when he was dropped at the first slip on 61 and 62.
The duo paced their innings well. They complemented each other by taking quick singles and also hitting the bad balls to boundaries.
The two set batsmen took the bowlers to task, playing a variety of shots, including back-foot punches and late cuts, to stitch a 267-run-stand for the eighth wicket, on a wicket where the ball was nicely coming on the bat.
Milind brought up his ton with a towering six over long-on. He made 136 off 208 balls with 18 boundaries and three sixes before being caught by Vikas Hathwala at short-fine leg off Aanshul Gupta.
Sandeep completed his double century with a couple of boundaries a little after tea. His marathon innings knock was punctuated with 22 fours and three sixes.
Immediately after Md Siraj was trapped leg before the wicket by medium pacer Raushan Raj, to claim his fifth wicket, Hyderabad declared their innings.
In reply, Services made 77 for no loss in 20 overs. Their opener Aanshul Gupta retired hurt on nine.
At stumps Nakul Verma (34) and Ravi Chauhan (23) were at the crease as the side trailed by 503 runs.
Brief Scores: Hyderabad: 580 for 9 decl (B Sandeep 203 not out, C V Milind 136, Raushan Raj 5/73, Aanshul Gupta 1/60) vs Services: 77 for no loss (Nakul Verma 34 batting, Ravi Chauhan 23 batting).
HP reach 210/6 in reply to Chhattisgarh's 238 all out
Kanpur: Himachal Pradesh were all set to take the all-important first innings lead after they reached 210 for six in reply to Chhattisgarh's 238 all out in a Group C Ranji Trophy cricket match.
Himachal first shot out Chhattisgarh for 238 after they resumed at the overnight score of 212 for seven and then finished just 28 runs behind with four wickets in hand at stumps on the second day of the four-day match.
Prashant Chopra (51) Ankush Bains (41) stitched 78 runs for opening stand before left-arm orthodox bowler Sumit Ruikar (5/73) ran through Himachal's top-order.
But towards the end skipper Bipul Sharma (46 not out) and Sumeet Verma (19 not out) shared an unbeaten 60 runs for seventh wicket to take Himachal closer to Chhattisgrh's total.
Brief Scores: Chhattisgarh: 238 all out in 98.5 overs vs Himachal Pradesh: 210 for six wickets in 79 overs (Prashant Chopra 51, Ankush Bains 41; Sumit Ruikar 5/73).
Gujarat end day two at 162/5, trail Gujarat by 140
Nagothane (Maharashtra): Loss of two quick wickets towards the end of day two put Madhya Pradesh on the backfoot against Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy Group A match.
In response to Gujarat's 302 in the first innings, MP were 162 for five at stumps trailing the opposition by 140 runs.
Earlier, Gujarat were all out after adding only 78 runs to their overnight 224 for four.
Manpreet Juneja, who was on an overnight 44, went on to make 79 off 153 balls with his innings comprising 10 fours.
Chandrakant Sakure (4/65) and Gaurav Yadav (3/57) brought MP back into game with a productive performance.
MP could have been in a better position going into day three if they did not lose their way with the bat. Besides Rajat Patidar (71), none of their batsmen could make an impact including skipper Naman Ojha (28).
From 128 for two, MP found themselves struggling at 157 for five before stumps were called.
Brief Scores:Gujarat 302 in 113.2 overs (Juneja 79, Parthiv 49; Sakure 4/65) vs MP 162/5 in 64 overs (Patidar 71, Axar 2/33).
Wakaskar, Rawat help Railways take first-innings lead
Nagpur: Riding on a century by Saurabh Wakaskar and half-centuries from Mahesh Rawat and SS Shukla, Railways scored 310 all out in reply to Baroda's 183, taking a solid 127-run lead first innings, on the second day of their Group A Ranji Trophy.
Resuming on 39 for no loss, the openers Wakaskar and Shukla put on 93 runs together before the latter got out for a 90-ball 51, which included nine fours.
Shukla's dismissal triggered a small collapse and three more wickets fell in quick succession. But Wakaskar, who started the day at an overnight score of 16, went on to complete his century.
Wakaskar took 193 deliveries for his 104, studded with 10 hits to the fence and two sixes.
Rawat then contributed with a crucial and quick 72 off 79 balls to ensure that Railways' cross 300-run mark and take a healthy first-innings lead.
For Baroda Atit Sheth was the pick of the bowlers with figures of four for 54.
In their second innings, Baroda reached 27 for no loss with Kedar Devdhar unbeaten on eight and Aditya Waghmode on 15 at the close of play.
Brief scores: Baroda: 183 & 27/0 in 10 overs vs Railways 1st innings: 310 all out (Saurabh Wakaskar 104, Mahesh Rawat 72; Atit Sheth 4/54).
Vihari, Prasanth's ton take Andhra to commanding position
Valsad: Skipper Hanuma Vihari and Prasanth Kumar hit superb centuries to take Andhra to a commanding position against Tripura in a Ranji Trophy Group C match.
Vihari remained unbeaten on 144 while Prasanth made 129 as the duo shared 240 runs for the second wicket to help Andhra reach 377 for three in 116 overs in their first innings in reply to Tripura's 171.
Resuming at the overnight score of 47 for one, Vihari and Prasanth dominated the proceedings with their great batsmanship.
Vihari scored his runs off 336 balls with the help of 14 boundaries, while Prasanth's ton came off 235 deliveries during which he struck 13 fours and two hits over the fence.
Slow left-arm orthodox bowler Gurinder Singh (2/92) picked up two wickets for Tripura while pacer Manisankar Murasingh (1/93) accounted for the other Andhra wicket.
Brief Scores: Tripura: 171 all out in 58.1 overs vs Andhra: 377 for three in 116 overs (Hanuma Vihari 144 not out, Prasanth Kumar 129; Gurinder Singh 2/92).
Jaggi, Kishan slam tons as Jharkhand amass 458/7
Agartala: Ishank Jaggi slammed an unbeaten 165 and Ishan Kishan struck 136 as Jharkhand amassed 458/7 in their Ranji Trophy Group B cricket match against Saurashtra.
Jharkhand, thus, stretched their lead to 181 runs with three wickets remaining in the first innings at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium.
At stumps on the second day, Jaggi was batting on 165 with the help of 18 boundaries and four sixes, while Ashish Kumar was yet to open his account.
On the first day, Saurashtra were all bowled out for 277 in 78.3 overs, with Perak Mankad top-scoring with a 137-ball 96.
Kishan scored an aggressive 136 off just 120, hitting 20 boundaries and four sixes in the process.
For Saurashtra, Kushang Patel returned figures of 3/92, while there were two wickets apiece for Jaydev Unadkat and Dharmendrasinh.
Jharkhand were overnight 29 for no loss.
Jaggi shared 136 for the fourth wicket with skipper Saurabh Tiwary (65), and 208 runs for the fifth wicket with Kishan to help his side take control of the match.
Goa in trouble after Rituraj's seven-for
Mumbai: Seamer Rituraj Singh claimed a career-best 7/42 but Goa's batsmen let him down with a lacklustre effort as they trailed Kerala by 173 runs with four wickets in hand in their Ranji Trophy group C cricket fixture at Brabourne Stadium.
Singh (7/42) added six more to his overnight tally and returned with 14 maidens from his 27 overs to bring Kerala's downfall from being 290/2 losing last five wickets for eight runs.
In reply, Goa were 169/6 with V Vinod Kumar (3/33) rocking their middle-order with two wickets in three balls.
Sanju Samson edged Singh behind the stumps to become the first victim of the day in the third over before Saurabh Bandekar (2/77) joined him at the other end.
Brief Scores: Kerala 1st Innings 342 in 105.4 overs (Rohan Prem 130, Bhavin Thakkar 117; Rituraj Singh 7/42) vs Goa 1st Innings 169/6; 60 overs (Vinod Kumar 3/33).
Odisha 150/2 after Assam make 301
Hyderabad: Odisha were comfortably placed at 150/2 after Assam were were all out for 301 in their Group B Ranji Trophy cricket match.
Overnight on 88, Kunal Saikia top-scored for Assam with a fine 135, while skipper KB Arun Karthik contributed 62 as they were bowled out in 121.5 overs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
In reply, Odisha made a solid start with Govinda Poddar scoring an unbeaten 81 off 155 balls with the help of 10 boundaries and a six.
Subhranshu Senapati (34) was the other unbeaten batsman at stumps on the second day.
Assam were 224/5 when the stumps were drawn on the first day. Batting at number 10, seam bowler Abu Nechim chipped in with a useful 20.
For Odisha, Basant Mohanty (3/18) and Suryakant Pradhan (3/90) were the most successful bowlers, while Biplab Samantray picked up two wickets.
