Services bowlers Arjun Sharma and Mohit Jangra etched their names in the history books by taking hat-tricks in the same innings against Assam. Out-of-favour India batters Ruturaj Gaikwad (116) and Karun Nair (86 batting) bailed their respective teams out of trouble, whereas the 36-year-old Ravindra Jadeja could manage only 36 in the first innings in his comeback game for Saurashtra.
Assam vs Services
A total of 25 wickets fell on what was a record-breaking opening day as cricket returned to Tinsukia after nearly 25 years. It was a bowlers’ day. Services’ left-arm spinner Arjun Sharma bagged a hat-trick and finished with a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Mohit Jangra then picked up three wickets in a row to match his teammate’s feat. Two hat-tricks in one innings of a first-class match is a rare occurrence. The two shared eight wickets between them after Pulkit Narang took the first two.
Assam fought back through skipper Riyan Parag’s five-for and Rahul Singh’s four-wicket haul. Despite being bowled out for 108, Services managed a slender five-run lead courtesy of Irfan Khan’s unbeaten 51. By the end of the day, Assam had taken a 51-run lead but had also lost five wickets in their second innings.
Maharashtra vs Chandigarh
Continuing his fine run, Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed 116 to lift Maharashtra from 83/4 to 313 against Chandigarh at stumps. After losing captain Ankit Bawne early, Gaikwad forged a 152-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Saurabh Nawale. Earlier, Arshin Kulkarni led the charge with a 55-ball 50 after Prithvi Shaw fell early.
Of the 10 wickets that fell, Jagjit Singh and Abhishek Saini took three each, while Vishu Kashyap and Raman Bishnoi claimed two apiece.
Saurashtra vs Madhya Pradesh
Ravindra Jadeja’s return to domestic cricket did not prove fruitful, as the veteran all-rounder was dismissed for 36 against Madhya Pradesh in Rajkot. The left-hander tried to take on Kumar Kartikeya but got stumped. Kartikeya also denied Chirag Jani (82) a century, finishing the day with four for 84. His spell triggered Saurashtra’s slide from 204/4 to 258/8.
Vidarbha vs Jharkhand
Rain delayed the start of play as the first session was washed out. Akshay Wadkar opted to bowl first, but his bowlers couldn’t make the most of the conditions, failing to pick up a wicket in the 38 overs bowled on the day. Jharkhand openers Shikhar Mohan and Sharandeep Singh closed the day on 119 without loss.
Vidarbha missed Harsh Dubey and Yash Thakur, both unavailable for selection after being picked in the India A squad for the red-ball matches against South Africa A.
Karnataka vs Goa
In Shimoga, play began late due to a wet outfield. The conditions tempted Goa to bowl first. New-ball bowlers Arjun Tendulkar and Vasuki Koushik reduced Karnataka to 65/4. Against his former team, Koushik claimed the big wickets of Mayank Agarwal and Smaran Ravichandran. Amidst the flurry of wickets, Karun Nair stood firm. The veteran brought his experience to the fore to counter the conditions. He will resume tomorrow on 86, with Shreyas Gopal unbeaten on 48. Bad light brought an early close to the day, with the hosts finishing on 222/5.
Punjab vs Kerala
Harnoor Singh was the star for Punjab in Mullanpur, remaining unbeaten on 126 against a disciplined Kerala attack that struck at regular intervals to prevent big partnerships. Harnoor, who did not play the previous game, stood firm at one end but received little support from the other.’
Captain Naman Dhir, Anmolpreet Singh and Ramandeep Singh fell for single-digit scores, while Prabhsimran Singh, Uday Saharan and Sahil Arora could not convert starts. Punjab ended the day on 240/6.
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