Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group C - Harpreet Singh ton carries Chhattisgarh; Manoj Ingale picks up six for Maharashtra
Harpreet Singh’s second century of the season helped Chhattisgarh to a comfortable total on a day one of their seventh round clash against Jammu and Kashmir. Elswhere, Manoj Ingale picked up six wickets as 15 wickets fell on the first day of play in Maharashtra's clash against Tripura.
Chhattisgarh consolidate after early loss
Opting to bat first on away conditions against the table-toppers, all the Chhattisgarh batsmen put up a decent show to finish the day at 270 for four from the allotted 90 overs. Despite losing opener Rishabh Tiwari for nought, his partner Jiwanjot Singh and Abhimanyu Chauhan steadied the ship before the latter fell after completing his fifty. Skipper Harpreet joined the opener and the duo added 86 as the visitors reached 154 for three. Jiwanjot fell eight short of a half-century, but Amandeep Khare provided able support to his skipper, who completed his second century of the season, with a 110-run stand. Harpreet hit 16 fours in his 116-run knock before falling minutes before the end of play.
Mohit Ahlawat fifty helps Services to decent total
On a day where play was delayed due to a wet outfield at the Palam A Stadium in Delhi, two teams ended things on an even keel. Services managed to put up 232 on the board, but at the cost of eight wickets — six of them coming courtesy medium-pacer Rahul Shukla. Put into bat by the visiting captain Saurabh Tiwary, Services were in trouble at 34 for three, with the previous match hero Gahlaut Rahul Singh falling for a duck. But once Shukla — who picked up all three wickets — was taken off, the hosts consolidated, courtesy Mohit’s 69 — which included 13 fours — and a 38 from skipper Rajat Paliwal. Mohit’s dismissal triggered a mini-collapse as Services slipped from 121 for three to 162 for eight, before Pulkit Narang and Raushan Raj — both unbeaten on 38 — carried the team through to stumps.
15 wickets fall on day one between Uttarakhand and Haryana
On a day where bowlers ran riot — picking up 15 wickets and only conceding a total of 159 runs — the encounter between Uttarakhand and Haryana hangs in the balance. Opting to bat first proved the worst decision possible for the hosts as all their top three batsmen fell for nought. Haryana skipper Harshal Patel led the charge with two wickets up-front before all his bowlers — except Himanshu Rana — joined in the carnage. Vijay Jethi top-scored for Uttarakhand with 20, while Tinu Kundu with three for 49, Ajit Chahal and Sumit Kumar with two wickets each had them bundled out for 109. In reply, Agrim Tiwari returned the favour in two-fold manner, leaving the visitors reeling at nine for four. They lost one more before reaching 50 for five at stumps.
Odisha comfortable on slow-moving day
Assam won the toss, put Odisha in to bat, and produced a disciplined bowling effort — albeit without much fruit — on day one at the DRIEMS Ground in Cuttack. Shantanu Mishra and Anurag Sarangi went about their task in a patient manner — setting up the tempo for the rest of the day — as the duo added 96 for the first wicket in 36 overs. Once Sarangi fell for 58 and skipper Subhranshu Senapati followed suit on a duck — the only failure with the bat on the day — Govinda Poddar walked in and carried on the slow scoring along with Mishra, whose 66 included 10 fours. Poddar himself went past a half-century with eight fours after Mishra’s dismissal and took his side through to 215 for three at stumps along with Biplab Samantray on 32.
Maharashtra take first-innings lead over Tripura
Skipper Ankit Bawne’s decision to put Tripura into bat paid rich dividends in the end as Maharashtra finished the day with an eight-run first-innings lead. Ashay Palkar broke through first before Ingale took six wickets for 34 to leave the hosts reeling at 81 for eight. A 36-run stand later, Swapnil Gugale took two wickets in one over to clean Tripura up for 121. Maharashtra’s reply started off poorly as they lost Jay Pande for nought, but a 49-run stand between Gugale and Rahul Tripathi steadied the ship. With the score at 53, Gugale fell and triggered a mini-collapse that saw the visitors reduce Maharashtra to 53 for five, with Manisankar Murasingh picking up three wickets. However, wicket-keeper Vishant More (30 not out) rescued the ship along with his skipper Bawne (39 not out) to take the team to 127 for five at stumps.