Ranji Trophy Day 4 Highlights: TN, Jharkhand, Goa, Bengal win with bonus point; Delhi beats Mumbai, Andhra stuns Saurashtra

Openers Kumar Deobrat and Aryaman Sen take Jharkhand over the line with all wickets intact and help their team secure a bonus point. Jharkhand sits on the second spot now as the race in Group C for a quarters berth heats up ahead of the final round of matches.

A high-scoring contest ends in an inevitable draw. Chandigarh takes three points and Railways one, but both teams are out of the quarterfinals race.

Match called off as a draw with 10 overs remaining. Sachin Baby (37 not out) and Salman Nizar (4 not out) played out 10 overs without any difficulty.

Just three matches are still ongoing in this penultimate group stage round of the Ranji Trophy. Jharkhand needs 38 runs to beat Pondicherry and still has 10 wickets in hand. Kerala is reeling at 95 for four in the second innings after conceding a big lead against Karnataka. Chandigarh has taken the first-innings lead against Railways, which is now 50 for one in the second innings.

Three points for Himachal Pradesh for the first innings lead. A win would have helped Himachal Pradesh stake its claim for a spot in the knockouts but poor weather has denied it six points. Nagaland languishes with just two points at the bottom of Group A.

Both teams share a point as Tripura’s first innings couldn’t be completed due to bad weather. However, both teams were already out of contention for a spot in the quarterfinals.

A much-improved showing with the bat by Odisha in the second innings but too late as it had already conceded the first-innings lead. Odisha captain Subhransu Senapati scores a brilliant 145 in the second innings. However, three points for UP and just one for Odisha.

Services bundled out for 304 with Darshan Misal picking five for 70 and Vijesh Prabhudesai taking four for 57. Seven crucial points for Goa as it keeps its qualifications hopes alive with 18 points in fourth position.

Saurashtra is bowled out for 192 and a fitting end for Andhra as its star bowler Lalith Mohan cleans up Jadeja to get his sixth wicket. A total of 11 scalps for Lalith in the match.

A thrilling finish as Manipur successfully chases down a mammoth 337 despite conceding a 63-run first innings lead. Shah (43 not out) and Rex (8 not out) add 33 runs for the ninth wicket to take Manipur home. Manipur will now face Bihar in the Plate Group final.

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Unadkat goes for 4 but Pujarat still standing tall with an unbeaten 90.

Another fifer for Lalith Mohan as he gets Prerak Mankad. Jaydev Unadkat joins Cheteshwar Pujara, who is fighting it out with a 85.

Two quick blows for Assam after Lunch and Tamil Nadu is looking to wrap this up inside this session. Baba Aparajith and Sandeep Warrier with the wickets.

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Lalith Mohan removes Samarth Vyas for 17 off 42. Saurashtra could be looking at a shock defeat now. Only thing between Andhra and a win is now the veteran Pujara, unbeaten on 84. Saurashtra still needs 167 to win.

Uttarakhand bags three points after taking the first innings lead. The start of the final day’s play was delayed due to bad light before the captains decided to shake hands.

A thumping win for Bihar as it qualifies for the final. Ashutosh Aman the star with the ball, picking four wickets in both innings. Bihar’s 428 in the first innings itself was too much for Meghalaya to overcome even in two innings.

Suthar picks six for 116 in the second innings as Chhattisgarh is bowled out for 262. The win will keep Rajasthan just about alive in the race for the quarterfinals. Ten wickets in the match for Suthar.

Gowtham strikes twice after lunch to reduce Kerala to 31/3. Rahul was the first to go after lunch caught in the slips by Padikkal for 15. Rohan Prem also falls in similar fashion for 14. There is turn on offer and spinners are asking uncomfortable questions. Crisis man Sachin Baby has a job in hand.

Ravi Kiran and Sumit Ruikar survive till the end of the first session. A 60-run partnership in 146 deliveries. Still 181 to get.

Assam loses six wickets in the morning session on Day 4.

Tamil Nadu did what it needed to do in the opening session with a clinical performance from its spinners led by R. Sai Kishore.

The skipper opened the floodgates with a delivery that spun sharp and surprised Rahul Hazarika, who was bowled trying to pad it away.

He then had the other opener.Subham Mandal, leg-before while going for a sweep to a full delivery.

At the other end, Ajith Ram then continued his fine effort in this match. He got hit by Riyan Parag for two sixes down the ground but the youngster still tossed it up and pulled the length back slightly. Parag was adjudged caught behind with the extra bounce surprising the batter as he tried to drive it, even though the batter was not impressed with the decision.

Skipper Gokul Sharma was the next to go, with Ajith Ram getting him leg-before while Sarupam Purkayastha was bowled trying to leave the ball.

Just before lunch, Aparajith went through the defences of Abhishek Thakuri with a delivery that went with the arm into the left-hander.

With the pitch offering good turn and uneven bounce, Assam’s hopes of even making TN bat again looks slim as it trails by 144 runs.

Cheteshwar Pujara fighting on to salvage a point from the contest.

The Karnataka pacers have kept the batters on their toes. Rohan Prem got off to a mark with a streaky four. Rahul’s stay has been pretty unconvincing but has survived. Rohan Prem batting 8 and Rahul batting 2.

Assam loses two more wickets. Part-timer Baba Indrajith gets Abhishek Thakuri before Ajith Ram castles Sarupam Purkayastha. Tamil Nadu just four wickets away from a win and bonus point.

Pondicherry has almost pared the scores with Jharkhand. Arun Karthick is nearing his fifty. With just three wickets left, it remains to be seen if Pondicherry can avoid defeat.

A quiet start by Kerala to its second innings. Rohan Kunnummal and Rahul P. have played out two maiden overs.

Sheldon Jackson is dismissed on 24 off 29 deliveries. He is castled by Lalith Mohan. Sirens blaring for Saurashtra? Vasavada joins Pujara at the crease now. Still 248 away from the target.

Finally, Karntaka has declared its first innings after Hegde’s fifty. A lead of 143 runs.

Subhransu Senapati, unbeaten on 144, has put Odisha in cruise control. Anurag Sarangi is nearing a century as well. Leads by 102 runs. Uttar Pradesh will still seal the three points on a first-innings lead.

Chhattigarh is hanging by a thread. Rajasthan just two wickets away from win. Sumit Ruikar and Ravi Kiran’s rearguard keeping Chhattisgarh alive for now. The target, still 220 runs away, seems ungettable now.

Mulani foxes Vaibhav Sharma and has him stumped. The new batter Nitish Rana launches his very first delivery for six runs to seal the season’s first win for Delhi. Delhi beats Mumbai for the first time in 42 years. Historic win! After the tumultuous season Delhi has had, this win will do wonders for its confidence. Vaibhav Rawal wins the player of the match award. The loss sees Mumbai slip to third place in the points table.

Pujara and Sheldon Jackson have taken the attack to Andhra’s spinners. Eight boundaries between them. Pujara brings out the sweep against Shoaib Khan while Jackson dismissed the offspinner with two lofted strokes over mid-on.

Assam loses its second wicket as Sai Kishore traps Subham Mandal leg before. Riyan Parag has gotten off the mark in style with two sixes. He is batting on 15 off 9 deliveries. Rishav Das 10 off 28 at the other end. The team’s deficit stands at 168 runs.

Hrithik Shokeen (24 off 31) and Vaibhav Sharma (21 off 25) are both rushing towards the target and trying to finish the game in a hurry.

No urgency from Karnataka on the final day. Sharath took his own time to complete his 50. Finally he lost patience and chased a wide ball from Nidheesh and was caught behind by Rahul for 53. Gowtham didn’t last long and was bowled by Vaisakh for 1.

Bonus point for Bengal as it registers a comprehensive win, its fourth of the season. A.R. Rana is the last man to fall as he is bowled by Akash Deep, who completes a fifer in both innings with that wicket. Akash ends with figures of 5/61 and 5/51 to end with 10/112 in the match.

Night watchman Chetan Sakariya departs as Saurashtra loses its second wicket. A big task ahead for veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, who walks in next to join Chirag Jani.

Captain R. Sai Kishore strikes to remove Rahul Hazarika and TN finally gets one. TN’s bid for an innings win finally underway after a defiant 73-run opening stand.

Delhi in a hurry to finish this. Anuj Rawat smashes 14 runs in three balls before being dismissed by Mohit Avasthi. Hrithik Shokeen starts with a four, getting a thick outside edge through the slips.

Anuj Rawat and Vaibhav Sharma are off to a quick start with the latter getting a boundary.

If Delhi wins today, it will be only its second win over Mumbai in the history of the Ranji Trophy. The last time Delhi beat Mumbai was during the 1979/80 seaso when Bishan Singh Bedi’s side got the better of Sunil Gavaskar’s team by 240 runs.

Hrithik Shokeen gets the last man, traps Dias in front, and Delhi needs 95 runs to win as Mumbai is bowled out for 170.

Tanush Kotian brings up a fighting fifty off 96 balls after denying the No. 11 a number of singles today. Mumbai now leads by 94 runs.

Himachal Pradesh just needs six wickets to beat Nagaland, which is 346 runs adrift of the target. The win will go a long way in Himachal’s bid to topple Uttarakhand from the second spot in Group A. While Uttarakhand is set to secure three points from Round 6, Himachal can still upstage it in the final round. Uttarakhand has 23 points while Himachal has 17 currently.

Bengal just needs three wickets to beat Haryana by an innings and secure a bonus point. The win will help Bengal consolidate its top spot in Group A and seal its quarterfinal berth. Haryana still trails by 79 runs in the second innings after following-on.

Left-arm spinners S. Ajith Ram (four for 68) and R. Sai Kishore (three for 67) bowled Tamil Nadu into a position of strength against Assam on day three of the Ranji Trophy clash in Chennai at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.

The two scalped seven wickets between them to dismiss Assam for 266 in the first innings and helped the home team take a 274-run first-innings lead before enforcing the follow-on.

-S. Dipak Ragav

Andhra secured the first-innings lead against Saurashtra, riding on left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan’s five-wicket haul (22-3-71-5) on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy sixth-round clash at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Thursday.

Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari did not enforce the follow-on. However, quick runs from Karan Shinde (50 not out) helped Andhra (164/7) set a 343-run target minutes before the close of play. Lalith sprang back to action and dismissed the home team’s opener Harvik Desai for a three-ball duck in the first over. Chirag Jani and nightwatchman Chetan Sakariya safely negotiated the next over as Saurashtra finished on 10 for one, 333 short of a win at stumps.

-Lalith Kalidas

Mayank Agarwal tamed the Kerala attack and hit a brilliant double-century (208, 360b, 17*4, 5*6) to put Karnataka in command at the end of Day three of the Ranji Trophy match against Kerala at the KCA-St.Xavier’s College ground on Thursday.

Karnataka took a vital 68-run first innings lead after ending the penultimate day at 410 for the loss of six wickets. With the odd ball turning and bouncing, Karnataka will fancy its chances of forcing a win on Friday. At stumps, wicketkeeper B.R. Sharath was batting on 47 and Shubhang Hedge was unbeaten on eight.

-M.R. Praveen Chandran

Delhi held the upper hand coming into the third day of its Ranji Trophy contest against Mumbai at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, but it required a special individual performance to take rapid strides towards victory against such a formidable opponent.

By rattling the Mumbai top order with a superb exhibition of seam bowling in the morning, Divij Mehra (5 for 29) got Delhi within striking distance of an upset victory. Ninety-two runs ahead in the second innings at stumps with just one wicket in hand, Mumbai now needs an almighty effort to avoid defeat on the final day.

-Abhishek Mukherjee

When to watch Ranji Trophy 2022/23?

Ranji Trophy Round 6 fixtures will be played from Tuesday, January 17 to Friday, January 20. The matches will start from 9:30 AM IST.

Where to watch Ranji Trophy 2022/23 on TV?

A select number of tournament matches are being telecast on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD. The telecast also provides updates and scores from all matches at regular intervals.

Where to live stream Ranji Trophy 2022/23?

The streaming of the Ranji Trophy matches will be available on Disney+ Hotstar app.