Shubham Ranjane helped Mumbai pull off a draw and pick three points in a nerve wracking game against Bengal. He was guided by Abhishek Nayar after Manoj Tiwary with the bat and Ashoke Dinda with the ball had Bengal back in the game.
Gujarat are at No 2 with 24 points after picking a first innings lead against Punjab while Tamil Nadu are at No 3 with 23 points.
Group A, Round 8 – Day 4 Round-up:
Bengal vs Mumbai in Nagpur: Bengal 1st inn 99/10 (S Chatterjee 35, S Thakur 6/31, D Kulkarni 3/22); Mumbai 1st inn 229/10 in 58 overs (S Thakur 25, D Kulkarni 22, A Dinda 5/88, M Kumar 3/56); Bengal 2nd inn 437/10 in 133.3 overs (P Ojha 31, D Kulkarni 5/110); Mumbai 2nd inn 203/6 in 87 overs (S Ranjane 76*, A Nayar 51, A Dinda 4/74) Match Drawn. Mumbai took first innings lead.
Shubham Ranjane helped Mumbai pull off a draw and garner three crucial points on the basis of a first innings lead that will keep the team at the top of the points table.
After a dismal performance in the first innings, Manoj Tiwary and Sudip Chatterjee had taken the match to Mumbai with determined centuries in the second innings. Bengal resumed their second innings on 433 for eight and were bowled out by the Dhawal Kulkarni-led attack for the addition of four runs to the overnight score.
Having set Mumbai a 308-run target Ashok Dinda claimed the top-order to leave Mumbai reeling on 22 for three. The Bengal attack stepped up the pressure as Mukesh Kumar accounted for Suryakumar Yadav 33 runs later while Pragyan Ojha followed up with wicket of Aditya Tare to leave Mumbai reeling on 67 for five.
With the defending champions struggling at 67 for five, and Bengal sniffing a win, Abhishek Nayar joined Shubham Ranjane, who was playing in only his second first-class game and scripted a draw. The pair stemmed the fall of wickets and kept the Bengal attack at bay as they batted patiently. They had added 112 runs for the sixth wicket when the experienced campaigner was sent back by Dinda. Nayar’s 135-ball knock ended with 51 runs leaving the side on 179 for six in the final session.
With another experienced hand, Dhawal Kulkarni, the 22-year old continued to hold the fort. When play ended, Ranjane was batting on 76 off 193 while the pacer had displayed grit during his 42-ball 6-run knock to help Mumbai pick three points and stay at the top of the table.
Baroda vs Madhya Pradesh in Dharamsala: MP 1st inn 217/10 in 67.5 overs (D Bundela 86, B Pathan 5/48, I Pathan 2/51); Baroda 1st inn 164/10 in 48.1 overs (D Hooda 61, I Pandey 5/29, P Datey 3/40); MP 2nd inn 293/10 in 87.2 overs (HS Bhatia 73, P Datey 41*, A Sheth 4/51, IK Pathan 2/51); Baroda 2nd inn 114/10 in 35.2 balls (B Pathan 10*, C Sakure 5/17) MP won by 232 runs
Chasing 347 runs, Baroda resumed their innings on 114 for nine and lost their last wicket off the second ball of the day. Chandrakant Sakure accounted for S Manglorkar to finish with a five-for as he bowled MP to a resounding win. The result leaves Baroda at the bottom of the group table.
Gujarat vs Punjab in Belgaum: Gujarat 1st inn 624/6 decl in 156.4 overs (P Panchal 314*, A Patel 65, B Merai 65, S Sharma 3/126); Punjab 1st inn 247/10 in 85.2 overs (M Vohra 68, G Khera 35*, R Kalaria 4/41, H Patel 2/24); F/o Punjab 2nd inn 241/2 in 89 overs (Jiwanjot Singh 101*, U Kaul 64*, J Bumrah 1/30) Match Drawn. Gujarat took first innings lead
Forced to follow on, Punjab resumed their second innings on 36 for one. Trailing by 341 runs when play started on Day 4, Jiwanjot Singh resumed the innings with Manan Vohra. While the opener’s was the only wicket to fall; sent back by Jasprit Bumrah for 47, the No 3 bat strove to keep the Gujarat attack at bay. He was joined in the effort by Uday Kaul. The duo kept the innings afloat until the stumps were drawn.
Jiwanjot was unbeaten on 101 with Uday on 64 when the game ended in a draw. Gujarat gained three points from the game as they strengthen their position for a place in the knockouts while Punjab garnered one point.
Uttar Pradesh vs Railways at Rajkot: UP 1st inn 259/10 in 70.3 overs (S Raina 91, S Kumar 53, K Sharma 4/48, A Singh 4/67); Railways 1st inn 213/10 in 79.4 overs (S Wakaskar 74, A Gosh 58, I Ahmed 5/34); UP 2nd inn 330/10 in 90 overs (S Choudhary 124, S Raina 91, K Sharma 5/71, K Thakur 3/82); Railways 2nd inn 155/10 in 61.5 overs (A Yadav 43, K Sharma 35, K Yadav 4/33) UP won by 221 runs
Uttar Pradesh registered their first win of the season in the penultimate round as they fight to avoid relegation. Having set Railways a 377-run target, they bowled the side out for 155 to post a 221-run win. Praveen Kumar leading the attack left Railways reeling at 35 for five at stumps on Day 3. The lower-order however tried to put up a resistance after resuming on the fourth morning. Avinash Yadav made 43 off 83 balls while captain Karn scored 35 off 92 as they looked to extend the innings. While Mahesh Rawat was the first to depart in the morning, run out for 19, Kuldeep Yadav wrapped up the innings and finished with a four-for.
