Nischal, Lemtur guide Nagaland to memorable draw against TN
Bengaluru, Oct 27: Nagaland opener Dega Nischal and Imliwati Lemtur probably played the innings of their life, guiding their team to a memorable draw against Tamil Nadu in a Ranji Trophy Group A match here on Tuesday.
The Nagaland pair, however, could not stop the Sai Kishore-led Tamil Nadu from earning three vital points on the basis of first-innings lead, though the NorthEast side managed to thwart an innings defeat, which looked highly probable after upcoming left-am pacer Gurjapneet Singh had reduced them to 3/9 with a hat-trick on day two.
Tamil Nadu, thanks to a double century (201) from young left-hand batter Pradosh Ranjan Paul and 189 from opener Vimal Khumar, had scored a mammoth 512 for 3 declared in their first innings.
But Nagaland's Nischal (175) and Lemtur (146) batted unflinchingly for nearly two days to give a befitting reply to their opponents as the NorthEast side scored 446 all out in 157.4 overs, leaving no scope for any other outcome other than a draw.
Overnight batters Nischal and Lemtur, who were unbeaten on 161 and 115 respectively on Monday, started from where they had left off as they continued to frustrate Tamil Nadu.
However, Nischal could add just 14 runs to his overnight score before he became the sixth Nagaland batter to be dismissed, by right-arm pacer RS Ambrish.
But, Lemtur continued to frustrate the TN bowlers and was the last man out, adding 31 runs to his overnight score as Nagaland were all out in the 158th over.
With the only logical conclusion being a draw, the captains shook hands.
UP-Odisha match ends in draw
In Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh earned three points by virtue of first-innings lead after the game against Odisha ended in a draw.
On the other hand, UP skipper Karan Sharma (121) and Aaradhya Yadav (101) scored centuries as the hosts made 409 for 6 declared in reply to Odisha's 243 all out in the first essay.
UP made an early declaration on the final day as they aimed for an outright win, but an unbeaten 71 by Odisha opener Swastik Samal put paid to the hosts hopes of victory.
Odisha made 151/3 in 44 overs in their second essay. (PTI)
GROUP B
Seamers help Maharashtra defeat Chandigarh by 144 runs
Chandigarh, Oct 28: Seamers Mukesh Choudhary and Ramakrishna Shekhar Ghosh took four wickets each to power Maharashtra to a 144-run win over Chandigarh on the fourth day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match here.
Set an imposing target of 464 after Prithvi Shaw's scintillating 222-run knock, Chandigarh ended third day's play at 129 for one. Eventually, they were all out for 319 in 94.1 overs on the final evening.
In order to make a game of it, Chandigarh needed a couple of big knocks from their top batters but, with the exception of opener Arjun Azad, who slammed a fine 168 in 236 balls, none of their players could go on to make a big hundred.Playing in only his second first-class match, this was the 24-year-old Azad's second successive century, after his 141 against Goa on debut.
Skipper Manan Vohra chipped in with 58 while U19 World Cup winner Raj Bawa contributed 42, as the others failed to reach double digit scores in their second innings.
Choudhary and Ghosh were the chief wicket-takers for Maharashtra in Chandigarh's second innings, returning figures of 4/34 from 19 overs and 4/71 from 20.1 overs.
The outright victory helped Maharashtra bag a full six points from the match, while there was nothing for the home team Chandigarh.
While the bowlers did their job on the final day, a lot of credit for Maharashtra's victory must go to Shaw, whose third fastest double hundred in Ranji Trophy history gave his team enough runs on the board and also time to take all 10 wickets in Chandigarh's second innings.
Brief scores: At Chandigarh: Maharashtra: 313 all out and 359/3 declared in 52 overs (Prithvi Shaw 222) vs Chandigarh: 209 all out in 73 overs and 319 all out in 94.1 overs (Arjun Azad 168; Mukesh Choudhary 4/34, Ramakrishna Shekhar Ghosh 4/71).At Shivamogga: Karnataka: 371 all out in 110.1 overs (Karun Nair 174 not out, Shreyas Gopal 57; Arjun Tendulkar 3/100, Vasuki Koushik 3/35) vs Goa 217 all out and 143/1 in 46 overs (Abhinav Tejrana not out 73, Manthan Khutkar not out 55). (PTI)
GROUP C
Shami's five wickets on final day sets up win for Bengal over Gujarat
Kolkata, Oct 28: Mohammed Shami served another reminder to the Indian selectors with a five-wicket haul as Bengal beat Gujarat by 141 runs for their second straight win in the early part of their Ranji Trophy campaign here on Tuesday.
With 15 wickets in 68 overs across the first two games, Shami has given a good account of his form and fitness in the premier domestic competition thus far.
He last played for India in the Champions Trophy but was not picked for the five Test tour of England.
With five wickets on day four of the game, Shami took his match tally to eight wickets.
The player of the match award went to left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed who took six wickets in the first innings to give Bengal a crucial first-innings lead over Gujarat.
Resuming their second innings at 170 for six, Bengal declared at 214 for eight to set Gujarat an improbable 327 run target.
Shami's exploits on the final day meant Gujarat were rolled over for 185 in the second innings.
Batting at three, Urvil Patel kept Gujarat's fight going with an unbeaten 109 off 124 but barring himself, Jaymeet Patel (45) and Aarya Desai (13), none of the batters could enter double digits.
In Ramnagar, Uttarakhand were all out for 398 after gaining the all-important first-innings lead over Railways, who made 333 in the first innings. In the second innings, Railways were 85 for one when players settled for a draw.
Brief Scores: At Kolkata: Bengal 279 and 214/8 decl in 54 overs (Sudip Kumar Gharami 54; Siddharth Desai 5/61) vs Gujarat 167 all out in 76.3 overs and 185 all out in 45.5 overs (Urvil Patel 109 not out; Mohammed Shami 5/38). Bengal won by 141 runs.
At Ramnagar: Railways 333 and 85 for one in 23 overs vs Uttarakhand 398 all out (Yuvraj Chaudhary 92, Bhupen Lalwani 78; Kunal Yadav 5/85). Match drawn with three points to Uttarakhand due to first innings lead.
With this commanding victory, Bengal continued to build early momentum in their Ranji Trophy campaign, led by the brilliance of seasoned campaigners like Mohammed Shami and Shahbaz Ahmed.
The team's blend of experience and youth appears to be clicking well, offering promising signs for the season ahead. (PTI)
GROUP D
Poor bowling robs Delhi of full points vs Himachal Pradesh
New Delhi, Oct 28: Delhi's insipid spin attack undid the good work of their batters as the hosts failed to secure full points against Himachal Pradesh, settling for a draw in their Group D Ranji Trophy fixture here on Tuesday.
Chasing 343, Himachal reached 168 for 2 in 46 overs when bad light forced an early end to proceedings. Earlier, Delhi declared their second innings at 209 for 4 after facing only nine deliveries in the morning session.Skipper Ankush Bains (81 not out) and left-hander Pukhraj Mann (76 not out) added 160 runs and looked set to accelerate with around 175 required in 40 overs.
Delhi collected three points by virtue of their first-innings lead, while HP took home one.
However, the Delhi bowlers had only themselves to blame. After reducing HP to 8 for 2 inside three overs, they failed to make inroads as left-arm spinners Rounak Waghela and Sumit Mathur lacked bite. Even Money Grewal (2/31) faded after an impressive opening spell.
The surface offered little assistance, and with no sharp turn or pace, Bains and Pukhraj played with comfort, picking their moments to attack.In overcast conditions, senior pacer Navdeep Saini (0/31 in 10 overs) had a chance to lead by example, but the spark that once defined him, was missing, as he struggled to extract any movement off the pitch.
Brief Scores: Delhi 430 and 209/4 decl (Yash Dhull 70, Ayush Doseja 64); Himachal Pradesh 297 and 168/2 (Ankush Bains 81 no, Pukhraj Mann 76 no).
Points: Delhi 3; HP 1.
In Mumbai: Mumbai 416; Chhattisgarh 217 (Ayush Pandey 50, Shams Mulani 5/59) and (f/o) 201/3 (Ayush Pandey 117). Points: Mumbai 3; Chhattisgarh 1.(PTI)