Batters dominated proceedings on the opening day of Round 3 of the Ranji Trophy, although weather disruptions prevented a few matches from getting underway. Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed 67 in his first game of the season for Mumbai. While Jaiswal made a mark, his Mumbai teammate Sarfaraz Khan flopped once again, scoring just 15 as Mumbai were bowled out for 254. Making the most of the batting-friendly conditions in Thiruvananthapuram, Karun Nair scored his second consecutive hundred of the season. In Delhi, Priyansh Arya made his much-awaited Ranji Trophy debut and scored a quickfire 40.
Rajasthan vs Mumbai
In his comeback Ranji game, Jaiswal top-scored with a 97-ball 67 in the first innings for Mumbai. Playing at his IPL home ground in Jaipur, the capped India batter added 100 runs with Musheer Khan in 31 overs, as both batters enjoyed the favourable conditions in the first session. In the next 45 overs, the visiting Mumbai team could only add 154 runs as they were bowled out for 254. The other capped Indian batters in the Mumbai line-up, Ajinkya Rahane and Sarfaraz, were both dismissed early by Ashok Sharma, who bagged three wickets. The right-arm pacer also dismissed Siddhesh Lad, breaking the backbone of Mumbai’s batting. Rajasthan openers Abhijeet Tomar and Sachin Yadav negotiated a tricky four-over burst from Mumbai to end the day at 10 without loss. Rajasthan have a great chance to take a first-innings lead in this game.
Karnataka vs Kerala
Out-of-favour India batter Karun continued his fine run of form with another hundred — his second of the season — to take his team to a commanding position early on the opening day of Round 3 against Kerala. With this ton, Karun also completed 9,000 runs in first-class cricket, becoming the sixth batter from Karnataka to cross the milestone. His unbeaten 142 took Karnataka to 319/3. Captain Mayank Agarwal once again fell early, as did Aneesh KV. Then came Karun and Krishnan Shrijith, who added a 123-run partnership, followed by a 183-run stand between Karun and Smaran Ravichandran, who remains unbeaten on 88. The right-left combination kept the Kerala bowlers at bay for the major part of the first day.
Tamil Nadu vs Vidarbha
The opening day in Coimbatore saw an even contest between bat and ball. Tamil Nadu, opting to bat first, lost their openers quickly. Pradosh Ranjan Paul then recorded his first hundred of the season. The right-handed batter battled hard for his team, scoring 113. With the second new ball, Nachiket Bhute dismissed him. Baba Indrajith finished the day unbeaten on 94 and will be eyeing a century tomorrow as Tamil Nadu look to build on their 252 when play resumes on Day 2. A depleted Vidarbha side could only manage four wickets, but they did not allow the Tamil Nadu batters to break free on their home turf.
Tripura vs Bengal
Tripura’s decision to bowl first in Agartala backfired as Bengal dominated proceedings with the bat on a truncated opening day. Despite losing Kausik Saifi early in the innings, the visitors closed the day at 171/1. Sudhir Kumar Gharami and Shakir Habib Gandhi batted well in conditions that offered some assistance to the pacers. Only 60 overs of play were possible due to bad light. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Akash Deep were unavailable for selection as they are in Bengaluru for India A duties. Young wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel is leading the team.
Punjab vs Goa
Uday Saharan notched up a fighting hundred for Punjab on Day 1 in Mullanpur. Batting first, the home side were reduced to 92/5, with the centurion from the last game — Harnoor Singh — along with Nehal Wadhera, Prabhsimran Singh and Ramandeep Singh, all falling cheaply. Wicketkeeper-batter Sahil Arora joined forces with Uday to see through the day, taking the home side to 215/5. Punjab will be pinning their hopes on this partnership to flourish as they eye a big first-innings total. On the other hand, Goa will be aiming to take the remaining five wickets early tomorrow.
Delhi vs Puducherry
At the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Sanat Sangwan was denied a hundred by Abin Mathew, who was the pick of the Puducherry bowlers with his three wickets. In the last half-hour of the day’s play, the Delhi opener’s 230-ball vigil came to an end as he was dismissed by the Puducherry pacer for 99. Priyansh, on debut, smashed 40 off 30 deliveries while batting at number four. The southpaw tried to take on Jayant Yadav but lost his wicket. Jayant closed the day well for Puducherry with the wicket of Anuj Rawat. Delhi finished the day at 248/6.
For More Sports Related News: Follow RevSportz