Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group B - Saurashtra set up quarter-final clash against Andhra
Saurashtra set up a quarter-final clash against Andhra Pradesh, set to be played at Ongole from February 20, after they earned a draw and three points against Tamil Nadu in Rajkot. Elsewhere, Himachal crushed their hosts UP by 386 runs, while Mumbai were forced to settle for a draw against MP.
Chirag Jani, Jaydev Unadkat seals draw for Saurashtra
While the defending champions failed, the runners-up from last season prevailed. Having conceded a mammoth first-innings total of 424 to Tamil Nadu, Saurashtra smartly negotiated a good part of two and a half days to earn three points and cement fourth place. On the final day of play, the hosts lost two wickets early on — one of them being centurion Arpit Vasavada for 132 — but Jani and Unadkat carried on his good work with a 74-run stand. Unadkat fell for 40, but his all-round efforts, which include the six-fer in TN’s first innings, earned him the Man of the Match award. Jani carried on, completed his century, and remained unbeaten on 124 as the captains shook hands on a draw with Saurashtra declaring on 481 for nine.
Rishi Dhawan, Vaibhav Arora crush UP
Day four at Lucknow lasted all of four deliveries, as Arora disturbed Yash Dayal’s first-up before trapping Aquib Khan in front three balls later to seal his fifer and the match for the visitors. UP all out for 148, or in other words, a crushing 386-run win and six points for Himachal Pradesh. For his match figures of eight for 78, Dhawan took home the Man of the Match award. Despite the win, Himachal finished the season a point behind UP, who had 20 on the board.
Aditya Shrivastava ton hands Mumbai fifth draw
After all of Sarfaraz Khan’s blitzing knocks — the latest one of 177 in the first innings earning him another Man of the Match award — Mumbai has managed just one win in the entire season — that too, way back in the opening round against Baroda. And Shrivastava, who struck 13 fours and two sixes en route his 130 not out, Venkatesh Iyer (59), and Mihir Hirwani (69 not out) once again underlined the toothless nature of their bowling attack on day four at the Wankhede. Madhya Pradesh batted for all of 89 overs — pursuing a near-impossible target of 408 — and added 270 runs to their overnight score of 44 for two, losing a further four wickets.
