Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Venkatesh Iyer scores maiden First-Class ton as Madhya Pradesh beats Pondicherry by 319 runs

CAP vs MP: Venkatesh Iyer’s sublime maiden First-Class ton and lower-order contributions with the bat put paid to Pondicherry’s hopes against Madhya Pradesh.

File Photo: Venkatesh Iyer didn’t tempt fate, hitting along the ground and driving on the up over cover to reach his fifty off 70-odd balls and ended his innings with 135 runs off 124 balls. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/G.P. Sampath Kumar

On a day when red-ball cricket witnessed two scarcely believable upsets, Madhya Pradesh predictably ground Pondicherry into dust, handing the host a 319-run defeat on the third day of their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy contest at the CAP Ground 2 here on Sunday.

Pondicherry looked to queer the pitch early in the day with MP losing four wickets for 17 runs, as questionable umpiring calls took centre-stage again, before Venkatesh Iyer’s sublime maiden First-Class ton and lower-order contributions with the bat put paid to its hopes.

With the host chasing an insurmountable 428, Kumar Katikeya (six for 45) nabbed three wickets in an over for the second time in the match and was on a hat-trick twice in the innings as he veritably shut the door on Pondicherry. His spin partner Saransh Jain took four scalps as the duo accounted for 19 of Pondicherry’s 20 wickets in the game.

Earlier, MP recovered through Venkatesh and Jain’s 104-run partnership for the seventh wicket, during which both batters played with caution, without compromising on the scoring rate.

Venkatesh didn’t tempt fate, hitting along the ground and driving on the up over cover to reach his fifty off 70-odd balls. He accelerated without taking risks, though he was reprieved by Paras Dogra in the slips when he was on 65, and got to his 111-ball ton with a caress to the long-off boundary.

With the pitch easing out, Venkatesh took a shine to Sagar Udeshi, hammering the left-arm spinner for two sixes and a four off consecutive balls. He then charged at part-time spinner Akash Kargave to deposit him for another six down the ground before a rush of blood had him caught at long-off in the same over.

Jain, who lent able support, gloved one that bounced awkwardly to the wicketkeeper, before Kartikeya extended Pondicherry’s frustrating day on the field with a rearguard. The duo would later combine to pile more misery with the ball.