Not one but two double-centurions, Karun Nair and Smaran Ravichandran, put on a batting masterclass on Day 2 of the Third Round of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season. Such was the batting display that it made the Kerala bowlers look hapless on their home turf in Thiruvananthapuram. Deepak Hooda also notched up his second successive hundred against Mumbai to put his team ahead.
Rajasthan vs Mumbai
At the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Deepak Hooda’s unbeaten 121 helped Rajasthan take an 85-run lead. A run-out by Musheer Khan denied Sachin Yadav a century, as the Rajasthan opener was dismissed for 92. His teammate Hooda registered his second ton of the tournament as the home side took an important first-innings lead. Apart from Tushar Deshpande, none of the Mumbai bowlers looked threatening. One of Mumbai’s key weapons, Shams Mulani, leaked runs at 4.60 per over. Captain Shardul Thakur bowled 14 overs but couldn’t pick up a single wicket.
Karnataka vs Kerala
In a rare double, overnight batters Karun Nair and Smaran Ravichandran both smashed double-hundreds. Karun was dismissed for 233, while Smaran remained unbeaten on 220. The pair were involved in a 343-run partnership as Karnataka declared their first innings at 586/5. Towards the end of the day, the declaration meant Kerala had to bat for 10 overs before stumps. After being in the field for almost two days, the tired Kerala side lost three wickets while adding only 21 runs. Vidhwath Kaverappa took a couple, and Vijaykumar Vyshak claimed one. The Karnataka new-ball bowlers bowled five overs each and made an immediate impact. Kerala trail by 565 runs.
Tamil Nadu vs Vidarbha
The defending champions have taken control of the game. After wrapping up the tail in the first session, Vidarbha scored 211/2 in response to Tamil Nadu’s first-innings total of 291. Aman Mokhade and Dhruv Shorey enjoyed the conditions in Coimbatore as they added 123 runs for the second wicket. Once again, Aman showed great promise with his 80. The right-handed batter held one end firm after losing his new opening partner, Satyam Bhoyar, early. Shorey, who will resume tomorrow on 80, has a chance to make a big hundred and help his team take a significant first-innings lead. Tamil Nadu skipper R. Sai Kishore bagged both wickets for his side.
Tripura vs Bengal
Poor ground conditions in Agartala delayed the start of the match. Despite being in a strong position, Bengal couldn’t capitalise. They started the day at 171/1 but ended it on 336/9. Sudip Kumar Gharami scored 108, and Shakir Habib Gandhi added 95, but the middle order suffered a brief collapse. Captain Abishek Porel was dismissed for 11. If not for Shahbaz Ahmed and Rahul Prasad’s 61-run partnership, Bengal would have been bowled out today. The onus will be on Shahbaz to try and get as many runs as possible with only one wicket remaining.
Punjab vs Goa
Punjab could only add 110 to their overnight total of 215 as Goa wrapped up the innings early by taking five wickets. Uday Saharan was dismissed for 126, and Sahil Arora scored 63. Darshan Misal and Deepraj Gaonkar made the maximum impact, sharing six wickets between them. What started well ended well for Goa, who finished the day with 92 runs on the board without losing a wicket. Suyash Prabhudesai has scored 58, while Manthan Khutkar remains unbeaten on 32. They specifically targeted Punjab skipper Naman Dhir, who conceded 38 runs in his five overs. Goa trail by 233 runs.
Delhi vs Puducherry
A heroic century from Ajay Rohera led Puducherry’s response with the bat to Delhi’s first-innings total of 294. By the end of the day, the deficit had been reduced to 54 runs. A couple of forty-plus scores from Anand Singh Bais and Paras Santosh Ratnaparkhe contributed to the team’s total of 240/4 on Day 2. Aman Khan and Jayant Yadav are the two last recognised batters. Both will try to stick around with Rohera, who will resume on 107. Taking a first-innings lead over the former Ranji champions would be a huge achievement for Puducherry.
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