Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group B - Tamil Nadu crush Baroda, reignites QF hopes
Tamil Nadu’s hammering of Baroda by an innings and 57 runs in the eighth round clash has reignited their hopes of qualifying for this season’s quarter-finals. Elsewhere, Suryakumar Yadav’s quickfire century pushed Mumbai’s lead to 212 runs against Saurashtra on day three at Rajkot.
Krishnamoorthy Vignesh takes five, TN win big
Resuming the day at 10 for nought — still needing 306 runs to make Tamil Nadu bat again — Baroda made a decent start in the first hour of play, reaching 53 for one. However, by lunchtime, the match was virtually over as a flurry of middle-order wickets to Vignesh and Sai Kishore saw the hosts reduced to 119 for seven. Post-lunch, skipper Krunal Pandya’s 74 and Atith Sheth’s 70 merely delayed the inevitable, as Baroda’s second bout folded for 259. Vignesh finished with figures of five for 62, but it was none other than Abhinav Mukund who took home the Man-of-the-Match award for his double hundred in TN’s first innings.
Counter-attacking batsmen give Mumbai a chance
Despite conceding a 70-plus lead in the first-innings — largely due to the Mumbai bowlers’ inability to finish off Saurashtra’s lower order — Mumbai ended day three with a chance to go for the win on the final day. Chirag Jani — who was on 45 overnight — went on to make 84 as the hosts’ first innings folded for 335. Mumbai then lost their first wicket with five runs on the board in the third over. However, Yadav then launched a counter-attack on the entire Saurashtra attack, hitting 17 fours and three sixes in his 130-ball 134. Gokul Bisla gave him company initially with 46, while Shams Mulani carried on his form with an unbeaten 67. At stumps, Mumbai reached 285 for three.
Himachal staring down innings-defeat against Railways
When play began on day three, Himachal had centurion Arindam Ghosh, and a host of batsmen whose main skillset isn’t batting, to bowl at. Ghosh went onto smash a lovely double century with 11 fours and five sixes, but the hosts had the lower order — led by skipper Karn Sharma’s 82 — was as much partakers in Railways putting up a mammoth first-innings total of 545 for seven (declared). With a mountain as high as 262 runs to climb in order to get Railways to bat again, the visitors safely negotiated the remaining eight overs of play to reach 24 for no loss at stumps.
Patient Aditya Shrivastava, Venkatesh Iyer puts MP in sight
A patient batting display from Madhya Pradesh — led by Shrivastava’s 223-ball 109 not out and Iyer’s 200-ball 80 not out — helped them inch closer to Karnataka’s first-innings total of 426. Resuming at 60 for two, the visitors lost two more wickets in the first session of play, reaching 152 for four at lunch. However, Shrivastava and Iyer ensured that the hosts’ efforts would go fruitless in the remaining two sessions. The duo’s unbroken 188-run stand meant MP reached 311 for four at stumps on day three at Shimoga.
