Vadodara, Jan 14: Rashmi Parida and Ashok Menaria have put Rajasthan in firm control of the 2010-2011 Ranji Trophy Final against Baroda. Having gained a crucial first innings lead of 33 runs over Baroda, Rajasthan finished Day 4 of the five-day match with the score at 201/4, thanks largely to a 140-run partnership between Parida and Menaria.
The day began with Baroda resuming from their overnight score of 324/8. Tail enders Murtuja Vahora and Sankalp Vohra, who had already added 36-runs on Day 3, added another 32 runs in the morning for the ninth wicket before Vahora (36) offered an easy catch, off a Deepak Chahar full toss, to cover. Three over later, Bhargav Bhatt (3) became the last of the Baroda batsmen to be dismissed with their first innings score of 361, surrendering a 33-run lead to Rajasthan. Vohra remained not out on 34, while Chahar and legspinner Vivek Yadav, both, took four wickets each for Rajasthan.
Rajasthan began their second innings threatening to surrender the advantage. Their top order, Akash Chopra (5), Vineet Saxena (0) and Hrishikesh Kanitkar (1), found themselves back in the pavilion with the scoreboard reading a disastrous 11/3. And when Robin Bist (22), Rajasthan’s top-scorer from their first innings, fell to the left-arm orthodox spin of Bhargav Bhatt with the score at 61/4, Baroda were well and truly on top.
But Parida and Menaria ruined any hopes Baroda may have had of dismissing Rajasthan cheaply. Both batsmen brought up their respective half-centuries in a 140-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Where Parida played a battling innings (78* in 191 balls), Menaria upped the ante towards the end to finish the day with 83* off 134 deliveries.
With a 234-run lead in their favour, Rajasthan, who have never won the Ranji Trophy despite making eight final appearances, the last of which was in the 1973-1974 season, will look forward to Day 5 hoping to finally record a historic win.
Brief Score: Rajasthan 1st innings 394 in 147.1 overs (Robin Bist 77, Bhargav Bhatt 5/103) and 2nd innings 201/4 in 71 overs (Rashmi Parida 78*, Ashok Menaria 83*, Murtuja Vahora 2/48); Baroda 1st innings 361 in 137.3 overs (Pinal Shah 77, Deepak Chahar 4/79)
