Ranji wrap, Round 1, Day 2 Mumbai Edge Ahead

GROUP A

Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu, Lahili

Six wickets late on Day 2 as Tamil Nadu squandered a good start in the second innings and handed the initiative back to defending champions Mumbai in Lahili on Friday (October 7).

Resuming the innings on 85 for 4, Mumbai were reduced to 136 for 8 on a wicket that offered assistance to the pacers. However, some late fightback from Balwinder Sandhu and Tushar Deshpande helped the defending champions extend the lead to 89 runs as they were bowled out for 176 runs in the first innings. Debutant K Vignesh was the most impressive bowler for Tamil Nadu. He registered figures of 5 for 41 in his debut outing.

Even as an 89-run lead was sizeable given that 20 wickets had fallen in less than 113 overs, Tamil Nadu ensured that the deficit was taken care of. Openers Washington Sundar and Abhinav Mukund displayed great application and patience to take Tamil Nadu to a two-run lead by Tea, without the loss of a wicket. The duo put on a 107-run stand for the first wicket, with the skipper becoming the first half centurion of the match.

However, once Washington was dismissed for 40, caught behind of Dhawal Kulkarni, the top order collapsed. From 107 for no loss they were reduced to 150 for 6, before adding three runs going to Stumps. Debutant Vijay Gohil was the pick of the bowlers in the second innings, bagging three wickets for 36 runs. Tamil Nadu have a 64-run lead with four wickets in hand.

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 87 (Baba Indrajith 28; Tushar Deshpande 4-25, Dhawal Kulkarni 4-31) and 153/6 (Abhinav Mukund 56, Washington Sundar 40; Vijay Gohil 3-36, Dhawal Kulkarni 2-29) lead Mumbai 176 (Aditya Tare 48, Kautubh Pawar 35; K Vignesh 5-41, Aswin Christ 3-51) by 64 runs

Baroda vs Gujarat, Jaipur

Deepak Hooda's 118 helped Baroda take command of the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Group A clash against Gujarat on Day 2.

Resuming the day on 285 for 2, Baroda continued their dominance in the match. The overnight duo of Hooda and Aditya Waghmode added 57 runs in the morning session before the former was caught behind off Mehul Patel. Waghmode followed him back to the pavilion soon after, dismissed by Axar Patel, reducing Baroda to 380 for 4. Yusuf Pathan provided a seven-ball blitz in which he smacked three boundaries and a six, before being caught by Rujul Bhatt.

Nineteen balls later, Irfan too headed back to the dressing room. However, his seven-ball stay at the crease didn't yield any run. Swapnil Singh, who walked out to bat at No. 8, put on three crucial partnerships with Hardik Pandya (47), Pinal Shah (20) and Gagandeep Singh (18 not out) to take Baroda to 544 for 8, before declaring their innings.

In reply, Gujarat openers Samit Gohel and Priyank Panchal remained unbeaten at Stumps, adding 34 runs in 15 overs. Gujarat trail by 510 runs with 10 wickets in hand.

Brief scores: Baroda 544/8 decl. (Aditya Waghmode 142, Deepak Hooda 118; Axar Patel 3-136, Rujul Bhatt 2-39) lead Gujarat 34/0 (Priyank Panchal 14*) by 510 runs.

Punjab vs Railways, New Delhi (Palam)

Unbeaten half centuries from Uday Kaul and Gurkeerat Mann helped Punjab recover from a precarious situation and reach 154 for 4 at Stumps against Railways on Day 2 at New Delhi's Airforce Complex Ground.

Resuming on 257 for 5, Railways managed to add only 74 runs in the morning. The sixth-wicket stand between Shivakant Shukla and Ashish Yadav came to an end after they added 150 runs. The lower order offered little resistance as they were bowled out for 331. Siddharth Kaul, who bagged three wickets on the second day - dismissing Shukla, Yadav and Anureet Singh - finished with a fifer.

In reply, Punjab found themselves in trouble early on in the innings. While openers Jiwanjot Singh and Manan Vohra were caught behind, Mandeep Singh was bowled by Deepak Bansal. In 10 overs, they were reduced to 20 for 3. Yuvraj Singh's departure in the 23rd over left Punjab reeling at 44 for 4. However, Kaul and Mann resurrected the innings with an unbeaten 110-run stand. While Kaul struck seven boundaries, Mann hit 10 fours and a six. Punjab trail by 177 runs.

Brief scores: Railways 331 (Shivakant Shukla 128, Ashish Yadav 81; Siddharth Kaul 5-68, Vijay Choudhary 2-59) lead Punjab 154/4 (Gurkeerat Mann 66, Uday Kaul 59; Deepak Bansal 2-28) by 177 runs

Madhya Pradesh vs Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad

Gourav Yadav's triple strike reduced Uttar Pradesh to 131 for 5 in reply to Madhya Pradesh's 465 at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 Group A encounter.

Having been reduced to 292 for 7 on Day 1, Harpreet Singh Bhatia added 104 runs to his overnight score of 112 and helped his side to take command in the match. He was helped by Ankit Sharma, in whose company he put on 155 runs for the eighth wicket.

Imtiaz Ahmed brought an end to their mammoth stand by Ankit in the 125th over. He followed it by trapping Ishwar Pandey leg-before two balls later, and running out Gourav after six more balls. Bhatia remained unbeaten on 216.

In reply, Uttar Pradesh got off to a steady start, but lost openers Almas Shaukat and Tanmay Srivastava in consecutive overs with the score on 33. Madhya Pradesh kept chipping with wickets at regular intervals as Umang Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan and Piyush Chawla walked back to the pavilion without making significant contributions. Reduced to 96 for 5, Eklavya Dwivedi and Kuldeep Yadav helped Uttar Pradesh reach 131 without any further loss. They now trail Madhya Pradesh by 334 runs.

Brief scores: Madhya Pradesh 465 (Harpreet Singh Bhatia 216*, Ankit Sharma 61; Imtiaz Ahmed 3-58, Ankit Rajpoot 2-79) lead Uttar Pradesh 131/5 (Eklavya Dwivedi 37*, Piyush Chawla 22) by 334 runs

GROUP B

Saurashtra vs Rajasthan, Chennai

Jaydev Shah extended his boundary tally to a whopping 36, but fell agonising short of a double century as Saurashtra piled on the runs against Rajasthan on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Continuing from an overnight score of 269 for 5, Saurashtra managed to add 171 runs, with Shah contributing 73 of those. Small but vital contributions were made by Chirag Jani (33) and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (22) to drag the team total past the 400-run mark.

In reply, Rajasthan reached 12 for no wicket at stumps and have a mountain to climb on Day 3.

Brief scores: Saurashtra 430 (Jaydev Shah 193, Sheldon Jackson 76; Aniket Choudhary 2-67, Kukna Ajay Singh 2-70) lead Rajasthan 12/0 by 418 runs

Odisha vs Vidarbha, Visakhapatnam

Faiz Fazal (76 not out) and Ganesh Satish (74) added 158 runs for the second wicket to drive Vidarbha past Odisha's paltry first-innings total to gain the advantage in Visakhapatnam on Day 2. Biplab Samatray, the Odisha batsman, resumed on an overnight score of 53 but couldn't add to his tally. His wicket exposed a fragile tail, that was polished off rather swiftly. From 134 for 6, Odisha were skittled out for just 150 as Shrikant Wagh and Akshay Wakhare were miserly in their spells, conceding 13 in 13 overs and 19 in 16.1 overs respectively, while also bagging three wickets each.

After the bowlers had done a fine job, captain Fazal led the way with the bat. After a slow start to the innings, Deepak Behera dismissed opener Sanjay Ramaswamy. Satish joined his captain in a cautious but vital partnership. Suryakant Pradhan ended their stand when he dismissed Satish for 74 but Fazal stayed put to guide his side to 182 for 2 at stumps.

Brief scores: Odisha 150 (Biplab Samatray 53; Shikhant Wagh 3-13, Akshay Wakhare 3-19) trail Vidarbha 182/2 (Faiz Fazal 76*, Ganesh Satish 74) by 32 runs.

Delhi vs Assam, Baroda

Rishabh Pant's exceptional display of counter-attacking batsmanship, combined Nitish Rana's ability to play perfect foil to the aggressor helped Delhi skim past Assam's first-innings total on Day 2 at the Reliance Stadium in Baroda.

When play began, Tarjinder Singh and Swarupam Purkayastha had the tall order of steering their side to safety after its struggle with the bat on the opening day. But the latter's fall in the third over of the day - to Parwinder Awana - set the tone for Delhi. Tarjinder battled hard from one end, but Pradeep Sangwan wrapped up the tail quickly to end the innings on 193.

In reply, Unmukt Chand was off to a solid start to the season, playing some crisp strokes through covers and mid-wicket. His new opening partner, Mohit Sharma, looked shaky and was sent packing by medium pacer Abu Nechim. Spinners Amit Verma and Gokul Sharma accounted for two vital wickets, dismissing a well-set Chand for 55 and Dhruv Shorey for 23. Rana and Pant came together to snatch the control away from Assam, adding 132 runs in 28.4 overs. Pant finished unbeaten on 84 off 83 balls, an essay laced with seven fours and five sixes, while Rana reached a well-structured 72 that included 10 fours. At stumps, Delhi gained a 48-run lead ahead of a crucial Day 3.

Brief scores: Assam 193 (Tajinder Singh 61*, Rahul Hazarika 37; Pradeep Sangwan 3-47, Navdeep Saini 2-43) trail Delhi 241/3 (Rishabh Pant 84*, Nitish Rana 72*, Unmukt Chand 55; Amit Verma 1-40) by 48 runs.

Jharkhand vs Maharashtra, Delhi

Kaushal Singh, Jharkhand's No.7 batsman, scored a century to help his team recover from an early wobble and take a key first-innings lead over Maharashtra on Day 2 at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Resuming on 33 for 2, Shrikant Munde ruffled a few feathers as Jharkhand were down to 67 for 4.

A brief partnership between Anand Singh and Virat Singh blossomed, but that was cut short by Satyajeet Bachchav. Out came Kaushal to steady Jharkhand's ship, adding key partnerships with Virat (46), Shahbaz Nadeem (25) and Varun Aaron (24 not out) to stretch his team's lead. At stumps, Jharkhand reached 293 for 7, 83 ahead of Maharashtra's tally.

Brief scores: Maharashtra 210 (Ankit Bawne 78, Kedar Jadhav 59; Varun Aaron 4-47, Ashish Kumar 3-32) trail Jharkhand 293/7 (Kaushal Singh 121*, Virat Singh 46; Anupam Sanklecha 3-60, Shrikant Munde 3-100) by 83 runs

GROUP C

Tripura vs Chhattisgarh, Ranchi

Ashutosh Singh became Chhattisgarh's first Ranji Trophy centurion as his 274-ball 140 helped his team end the day on 255 against Tripura at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Ground in Ranchi. Chhattisgarh took a first innings lead of 137, in reply to which Tripura ended the second day on 10 for no loss.

Starting the day on 77 for 3, Ashutosh started building the innings with Mohammad Kaif (27), who also reached 10,000 first-class runs. However, Tripura kept things tight after the first hour and dried up the runs. Ashutosh was involved in a crucial 63-run stand with Kaif and also added 41 runs with Vivek Naidu.

After the third session was delayed due to rain, Ashutosh started running out of partners as the lower-order failed to click. He almost tapped the ball to short leg on 99 but got to his century off 233 balls with a flick to fine-leg.

Brief scores: Tripura 118 and 10/0 trail Chhattisgarh 255 (Ashutosh Singh 142; Abhijit Dey 4-26) by 127 runs.

Kerala vs Jammu & Kashmir, Kalyani

Only 7.2 overs were possible at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani because of rain as Kerala reached 282 for 7 against Jammu & Kashmir.

Sanju Samson remained unbeaten on 142 after Kerala started the day on 263 for 7. Earlier on the first day, Kerala were reduced to 9 for 2 when they lost Bhavin Thakkar and Rohan Prem inside four overs. That's when Saxena and Samson started rebuilding the innings. The duo batted for close to 26 overs to score 97 for the third wicket.

However, Saxena was caught off the bowling of Samiullah Beigh for a 88-ball 69. That led to another wobble as they were soon reduced to 168 for 6. Samson held one end up and kept fighting to help the team over the 250-run mark. He reached his seventh first-class ton off 207 balls to give the team a fighting total.

Brief scores: Kerala 282/7 (Sanju Samson 142*, Jalaj Saxena 69; Samiullah Beigh 4-76) vs Jammu & Kashmir.

Himachal Pradesh vs Andhra, Bhubaneshwar

No play was possible at the KIIT Cricket Stadium in Bhubaneshwar between Himachal Pradesh and Andhra because of rain on the second day.

On the first day, Centuries from Prashant Chopra and Sumeet Verma helped Himachal Pradesh overcome a shaky start and end on a strong total of 318 for 7 after they were struggling at 105 for 3.

Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh 318/7 (Prashant Chopra 117, Sumeet Verma 116*) vs Andhra.

Goa vs Hyderabad, Nagpur

Akshath Reddy's ton helped Hyderabad take first innings lead of 24 against Goa as they ended the day on 188 for 4 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.

Starting the day on 28 for 1, Reddy (105 not out) and S Badrinath (41) scored 100 runs for the fourth wicket after they were left reeling at 49 for 3. Hyderabad lost Vishal Sharma on the fourth over of the day. B Anirudh too failed to get going before Badrinath, the captain, and Reddy rescued the innings.

Brief scores: Goa 164 (Saurabh Bandekar 58; Mohammad Siraj 4-14) trail Hyderabad 188/4 (Akshath Reddy 105*, S Badrianth 41) by 24 runs.

Haryana vs Services, Mumbai

Services were shot down for just 197 by Haryana at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. In reply, the openers - Shubham Rohillia and Nitin Saini - started well to help the team end the day on 117 for 3.

Services were able to add just 54 runs to their overnight score before Yuzvendra Chahal and Rajat Paliwal wrapped up the innings.

Both Rohillia and Saini made a cautious start to score 50 runs in the first 15 overs before the latter was dismissed for 25.

Brief scores: Services 197 (Aanshul Gupta 69; Rajat Paliwal 3-14) vs Haryana 101/2 (Shubham Rohillia 62*)