Ranji Trophy: Kalaria's hundred piles more misery on Goa

Gujarat's lower order continued to frustrate Goa on the second day of the quarterfinal with Roosh Kalaria slamming an unbeaten hundred.

Roosh Kalaria after the second day's play in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Goa.

The Goliaths from Gujarat had Goa’s Davids firmly on the mat even before halfway stage into their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel stadium here on Friday.

Despite losing set overnight batsmen early on, Gujarat’s lower order joined the run feast as the home team declared its first essay halfway into the last session of Day Two at a gargantuan 602 for eight. Smit Patel and captain Amit Verma - who survived a close lbw shout off Roosh Kalaria - then avoided a collapse for Goa, which was in dire straits at two down without a run on the board. But the duo would realise if Goa has to even remotely think of making a match of it, it will have to dig deeper than the 46-run association it stitched together to see the day off.

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Kalaria and Chintan Gaja struck in each of their first overs, thanks to tired legs of Goa openers after being made to field for a whopping 162 overs. While Sumiran Amonkar lobbed the second ball of the innings back to left-arm pacer Kalaria, Vaibhav Govekar edged Gaja to Priyank Panchal in the cordon in the next.

More than its bright effort with the ball, it was Kalaria and Gaja’s sterling effort against a largely hapless Goa bowling attack that virtually sealed the deal for Gujarat. Thanks to Felix Alemao’s impressive spell with the second new ball, Gujarat had lost both the overnight batsmen in the first half hour. While Chirag Gandhi (49, 86b, 8x4) was plumb in front in Alemao’s maiden over after cracking two fours off Lakshay Garg in the opening over of the day, captain Parthiv Patel (124, 172b, 16x4) holed out to long-leg off Alemao’s perfect bouncer.

Kalaria then joined Axar Patel at the crease with the duo stitching together 130-run partnership before Axar perished after lunch to give Alemao a deserving third. In came Gaja and the duo batted without any trouble with the softer ball. So effortless did the duo appear at the crease that their 116-run partnership came without a single chance. By the time Gaja holed out in the deep, Kalaria had notched up his third First Class ton and personal best and Gujarat had crossed the 600-run mark.