Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy Round 5 matches taking place across the country. This is Lalith Kalidas and Abhishek Saini bringing you the updates.
Scores @ Stumps Day 3
Maharashtra ends the day on 104/3 with a lead of 146 runs. Warrier picked all three wickets for Tamil Nadu. Bawane and Rawale are the batters on crease.
The Karnataka openers take just five overs to complete the run chase. The team picks up a bonus point to move to 26 points after five rounds. Karnataka will stay at the top of Elite Group C.
Rajat Patidar and Shubham Sharma see the day out. Madhya Pradesh ends on 189/2 with a lead of 290 runs.
Services survives a tricky spell of play. It ends day three at 20/0. Needs to score 321 more to win on the last day on Friday.
Rajasthan is bowled out for 330 runs. A lead of 14 runs. Skipper Ashok Menaria does not bat in the innings. Samarth and Mayank Agarwal begin the formality of a run chase for the home team.
Dipak Ragav from Pune: Warrier again. Gets Rahul Tripathi. A good bouncer. Rahul tries to cut it over third man but skipper Indrajith was waiting for it in a fly slip-like position. Maharashtra 87/3, leads by 131 runs.
Rajasthan has managed to eke out a lead, but only worth five runs. Joshi fought hard but fell on 63 runs. Gowtham and Vyshak have picked three wickets each. A matter of few overs before Karnataka seals this one.
Delhi ends the day at 300/4. It has two set batters - Dhruv Shorey and Himmat Singh - in the middle and the deficit remaining is 159 runs.
Shardul Thakur is a popular man in Guwahati.
Dipak Ragav from Pune: Tripathi has put the home team in a good position. He is batting on 43 off 41 and has hit 8 fours. He had edged quite a few of them but also played some nice drives through the off-side. The lead is 107 runs.
Sachin Baby falls seven runs short of his second century of the game. Sijomon Joseph is out first ball and the team declares shortly after. Kerala sets a massive 341-run target for Services.
Anustup Majumdar is dismissed with the teams total at 53. Three men back in the dugout for Bengal. The team needs 124 runs on the final day. Baroda needs seven wickets. Brilliantly set for Day 4.
Dhruv Shorey is batting on 126 with Himmat Singh on the other end. If the pair can stick around, Delhi can hope of bettering Andhra’s first innings score. Still 185 runs to go.
Bad light caused play to stop and the umpires have declared end of day’s play. Assam 36/5.
Praven Chandran from Thumba: Kerala’s lead nearing 300. Salman (40) gets out trying to accelerate. Nidheesh gets a promotion but doesn’t stay long enough to hurt Services as he is out slogging for seven. Sachin Baby batting on 68.
The centurion from the first innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad, is sent back to the pavilion.
Dipak Ragav from Pune: TN draws first blood. a superb sharp catch by Indrajith at first slip. Siddhesh Veer is out. Sandeep Warrier strikes.
Baroda has removed openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Abhisek Das. The run rate is under 2 runs per over as well. Anustup Majumdar and Sudip Gharami at the crease for Bengal.
MP starts well with a 104-run opening stand. Despite Yash Dhull’s wicket, Himanshu Mantri looks like he will keep the innings on course. The lead is 211 runs now.
Assam loses two more. Mumbai now needs five wickets to wrap up the match. Shardul picks Thakuri before Avasthi gets Hazarika.
A long second-session finally ended with Maharashtra taking the first innings lead. It is a slender lead of 42 runs but it nonetheless pockets them three points. Vijay Shankar scored his second consecutive hundred as he helped TN go past 400. He was well supported by Ajith Ram who made 24 off 88 balls as they added 54 runs for the eighth wicket. The left-handed youngster was compact in defense and rose to the occassion.
Vijay Shankar had to play within himself as he crawled to his century taking Ajith along with him. However, with TN needing outright wins, one wonders if he could have trusted Ajith to hang around and start looking to score more freely. Taking first innings lead was always going to be a tall-order for TN once they were seven down. A more positive approach of trying to score as much as possible quickly would have allowed both teams to press for an outright win if Maharashtra decides to give a sporting declaration.
With a 46-run lead, the home team will need to get as many runs as possible today and probably bat for an hour on Friday. They would look to set a target of about 200-250 on day four and challenge TN to go for it.
-Dipak Ragav
The host is in trouble in the second innings. Already three down and 312 runs still to go to get level with Mumbai.
Ajith Ram is the last man sent back to the pavilion as Maharashtra picks a 42 run lead. Hangargekar gets the last wicket.
Praveen Chandran: Kerala 142/3 at tea with an overall lead of 251. Sachin Baby is batting on 49 and Salman Nizar is batting on 15. Sachin Baby has changed gears, choosing the right ball to play the big shots. Rohan Prem (16) perished to a catch in the deep off Rathe.
Shayan from Thumba: Two quick wickets for Mumbai. Tanush Kotian removes Gokul Sharma (70 off 153) and Shams Mulani dismissed Roshan Alam as Assam bowled out for 370. With a lead of 317, Mumbai will impose a follow-on to Assam.
Third hundred for Dhruv Shorey as he reaches the mark off 203 balls for Delhi against Andhra Pradesh. He is the first batter to cross 700 runs in this Ranji Trophy season. Delhi 214/4 in 71 overs.
The other set batter Aditya Garhwal is also out. He is dismissed for 66 runs off 66 balls. 112 still needed to level scores for Rajasthan.
Palkar castles Vijay Shankar. He goes for 107 with the team’s total at 376. Eight down and need 70 runs to pare the first innings score.
A flick from the Tamil Nadu all rounder to get to a consecutive century. Tamil Nadu 368/7.
Shayan Acharya from Guwahati: It’s tea in Amingaon. Assam at 329-7 with Gokul Sharma on 41 (122) and Mukhtar Hussain at 4 (17).
Bengal’s bowlers have pulled the game right back for the team. Baroda skittled out for 98 with opener P.A. Kumar remaining unbeaten on 62 runs. The chase to begin after Tea.
Lomror falls agonisingly short of a hundred. V. Vyshak gets him. Rajasthan 171/2, still trails by 145 runs.
The 80-run partnership between Gokul Sharma and Abhishek Thakuri is broken by Shams Mulani. Abhishek Thakuri out for 51.
Praveen Chandran from Thumba: Kerala has scored briskly after lunch. Vathsal Govind played fluently to move into 40s. The opening pair put on 56 runs for the first wicket before Rahul is bowled by Rathee for 14, trying to play the reverse sweep.
Kerala loses its second wicket shortly after as Rathee cleans up Vathsal for 48. The score is 74/2.
Shankar is batting on 88. Tamil Nadu at 345/7, trailing Maharashtra’s first innings score by 101 runs. Ajith Ram holding fort at the other end.
Mahipal Lomror continues his impressive innings. He is now on 86 runs off 70 balls. He’s ensured the team’s run rate stays over 6 runs per over. Aditya Garhwal at the other end has also contributed at more than run-a-ball.
The partnership between Dhull and Dhruv Shorey has been broken by Andhra’s Shoaib Mohammed Khan. Shorey still at the crease on 62. Delhi 149/3
Shayan Acharya from Guwahati: Gokul Sharma and Abhishek Thakuri trying to steady Assam innings. Still a mountain to climb.
Mahipal Lomror’s 65 off 48 deliveries helps Rajasthan cut down Karnataka’s first-innings advantage by 100. Rajasthan still trails by 216 runs.
The defending champion takes a first innings lead. Madhya Pradesh 107 runs ahead after ending the session 6/0 after bundling out Gujarat for 211 runs.
At lunch on day 3, Maharashtra is well and truly on top of the game. Tamil Nadu finish the first session on 331/7 and trail by 115 runs. Vijay Shankar is unbeaten on 76. He has had two reprieves today, dropped in the slips on both occasions.
It looks like TN’s approach is to still take the lead with Vijay Shankar farming the strike but it seems a like a tall order.
An option will be to look to accelerate and get as many runs as possible and see if the home team will give them a target that will be attainable enough to go for.
Maharashtra too needs an outright win from this game especially with Mumbai in a good position against Assam. Both Maharashtra and Mumbai are tied on 16 points with the latter ahead on run quotient.
-Dipak Ragav
Dhruv Shorey and Yash Dhull have added 50 runs for the third wicket. Delhi still trails Andhra by 320 runs.
Praveen Chandran from Thumba: The makeshift combination has survived till lunch. Kerala 35/0. Vathsal Govind batting on 21 and P. Rahul batting on 14.
After a 19-minute stoppage, the players are back on the field.
Mukesh Kumar and Ishan Porel have dismantled Baroda’s batting line up. The team is tottering in the second innings. Opener P.A. Kumar still on the crease trying to fight for a reasonable total. The team leads by 141 runs.
Ashwin Achal from Alur: Mahipal Lomror gets his fifty with a six over long off. 50 in 38 balls as he opens the innings.
Sikkim has secured an innings and 258-run win over Arunachal Pradesh - its third win in the Plate Group as it bundles Arunachal for just 61 in the second innings.
After conceding a 10-run lead in a low-scoring first innings, Jharkhand’s massive 366-run total in the second has put a daunting target for Chhattisgarh to confront.
Well, have you seen this before? TN v Maharashtra play stopped due to stubble burning outside the stadium.
There were no demons in the pitch but Assam batters crumbled under pressure and threw wickets, allowing Mumbai to flex muscles in a crucial Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fixture on Thursday.
Going into lunch, Assam lost six wickets for 238 as Mumbai fast bowlers Shardul Thakur and Mohit Avasthi claimed a brace each to put the pressure on the home team.
Starting the day at 129 for one, Assam started steadily with Rahul Hazarika (79) and Rishav Das (75) adding 34 runs to the overnight score before Shardul struck. A settled Hazarika nicked and was caught behind by Prasad Pawar.
The onus was on Riyan Parag, who started off aggressively - hitting two sixes off Shams Mulani - before offering a catch to Prithvi Shaw at slips off Thakur.
And thereafter, Assam lost wickets at regular intervals with the middle-order fumbling under pressure. Rishav did make an attempt to accelerate the strike before being cleaned up by Tanush Kotian. And to add to its woes, Assam lost its sixth wicket on the last ball before lunch as Swarupam Purkayastha 9 (13) departed after being caught by Shardul at short mid-off off a Mohit Avasthi delivery. From starting confidently, things have gone haywire for the home team. - Shayan Acharya
Another opening pair for Kerala. Vathsal Govind joins P. Rahul as his partner. The third makeshift combination for Kerala in as many innings. They have begun in contrasting styles with Rahul opening his account with a cover drive for a boundary while the tentative Vathsal has hit a streaky boundary through slips. Kerala 8/0
Shayan pings: Assam loses its sixth wicket for 238 on the last ball before lunch. Mumbai firmly in control of the game. Swarupam Purkayastha 9 (13) departs after being caught by Shardul Thakur at short mid-off off a Mohit Avasthi delivery.
Things going haywire for the home team.
Services all out 229. Sijomon Joseph has Arpit Guleria stumped by Rahul for 0. Earlier Sachin Baby took a sharp catch to send back Pulkit Narang (36) who added 31 runs with Poonia (10 not out) for the ninth wicket.
Karnataka takes a 316-run lead as it folds for 445 against Rajasthan. Manish Pandey completed yet another century and was the ninth batter to be dismissed for 101 off 131 balls with 10 fours and four sixes.
S Dipak Ragav: At the drinks break, Maharashtra have done what they needed to do today morning. They have taken two wickets including that of in-form Pradosh Ranjan Paul. Ashay Palkar had him bowled while Rajvardhan Hangargekar removed Sai Kishore caught at slips. TN has managed to avoid the follow-on and is on 311 for six.
For the visitors, the first-innings lead looks like a distant target now. Though the likes of Aswin Crist and S Ajith Ram can hang around, all rests on Vijay Shankar. The first goal will be to reduce the deficit as much as they can.
For the home team, if they can bowl out TN before lunch, the team can look to post some quick runs in about three hours and set TN a target. Vijay Shankar got a life in the first over when Kedar Jadhav dropped him at slips. He has since then looked in control and gotten to his half-century.
Assam loses its fourth wicket. Shibsankar Roy caught by Prithvi Shaw off Shams Mulani for five. Assam 191-4.
M. R. Praveen Chandran from Thumba: Double break for Kerala. M. D. Nidheesh sends back Rathees (20) caught by Rahul behind the wicket. Jalaj strikes in his first over. Sachin Baby takes a brilliant catch at leg slip to dismiss Diwesh Pathania (8). Services 197/8 Pulkit Narang is batting on 16. Poonia is the new batter.
S Dipak Ragav from Pune: Rajvardhan Hangargekar breaches Pradosh’s defence. Off stump goes for a walk. Pradosh is dismissed for 84. Tamil Nadu 286/5. Beautiful delivery at good pace. The impressive Pradosh was going for a hat-trick of first-class centuries.
Ishan Porel strikes twice in his fourth over to leave Baroda reeling at 22/5 in 15 overs with just a 100-run lead.
One shot too many, perhaps? “Well, Riyan Parag is gone! A big, big wicket for Mumbai.,” says Shayan. Riyan Parag had dismissed Prithvi Shaw in the first innings and today, Shaw catches Riyan at slips off a Shardul Thakur delivery for 15.
Old friends, Riyan and Prithvi played together in the U-19 World Cup in 2018, which India won.
Assam 183/3 in 53.2 overs.
Mukesh removes Baroda skipper Vishnu Solanki for 5. Baroda 8/3 in 8.3 overs.
Shayan Acharya from Guwahati: And, Shardul Thakur has struck! Rahul Hazarika departs as Assam loses its second wicket. A caught behind by Prasad Pawar off a Shardul Thakur delivery brings Rahul Hazarika’s 79-run innings to an end. The partnership lasted 84 runs. Assam 163/2 in 47.2 overs.
A comfortable eight-wicket win for Manipur as it secures its third win to earn a spot in the Plate Group semifinals.
Baroda took a 79-run first-innings lead before Bengal seamer Mukesh Kumar removed its opener JK Singh and Priyanshu Moliya off successive deliveries in his first and third over. Baroda 0/2 in 2.1 overs.
Mukesh Kumar castles Priyanshu Moliya. | Photo Credit: HOTSTAR SCREENGRAB
A cold morning in Guwahati, says Shayan:
Tamil Nadu has a huge fight on its hands with Pradosh Ranjan Paul and Vijay Shankar griding to reduce the deficit against Maharashtra. The 23-year-old Pradosh, who made his debut in 2019, has been superb upon return and his aiming for his third ton in as many matches.
Mumbai captain Ajinkya Rahane fell nine short of a double century in a Group B match against Assam on Wednesday. But Rahane will be happier if his team can win this game and secure six points.
Prithvi Shaw speaks about missing the 21 runs that he missed during a whirlwind knock in Guwahati - one which would have made him the first Indian opener to hit a quadruple ton in FC.
What were the conversations Rahane had with Shaw during their 401-run partnership? Well, it turned out to help both of them. Shayan Acharya writes on the chats the Mumbai batters had out in the middle.
Wednesdays with WV, Episode 22: Murali Vijay talks to WV Raman about the ups and downs in his career, his rocky relationship with his father and why he’s almost done with the BCCI.
Scores @ Stumps, Day 2
The Ranji Trophy Round 5 matches got underway on Tuesday with crucial contests across all five groups. It was a record-breaking Day 2 as Mumbai opener Prithvi Shaw smashed records with his incredible 379. Here here is a Day 2 wrap from some of the key games that are being covered by our correspondents from the respective venues.
Elite Group A: Bengal v Baroda Day 2
- Team Sportstar
Elite Group B: Assam v Mumbai Day 2
- Shayan Acharya
Elite Group B: Maharashtra v Tamil Nadu Day 2
- S. Dipak Ragav
Elite Group B: Hyderabad v Saurashtra result
- V. V. Subrahmanyam
Elite Group B: Delhi v Andhra Pradesh Day 2
- Rakesh Rao
Elite Group C: Kerala v Services Day 2
- M. R. Praveen Chandran
Newly elected national selector S. Sharath has had a long career playing for Tamil Nadu. In this episode, he breaks down his journey and tells the listeners about the perils of breaking into the state team and later into a star-studded zonal team in an era when domestic cricket thrived. He started playing zonal cricket at the same time as Rahul Dravid and made his mark there, to know more tune in.
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