Ranji Trophy | Elite Group A - Vidarbha, Kerala and Punjab continue to dominate on Day 2
While Robin Uthappa’s hundred gave Kerala the kick-start on Day 1, Sachin Baby (155) propelled the innings as Kerala declared the innings on 525/9. Meanwhile, Mandeep Singh’s hundred brought Punjab close to Rajasthan’s first innings total of 257 as Vidarbha took a lead against Andhra Pradesh.
Manprit Juneja puts Gujarat ahead against HyderabadÂ
Brief scores : Gujarat 295/9 (Manprit Juneja 94) lead Hyderabad 233 (Mehdi Hassan 4/78) by 62 runs
Gujarat, after bundling Hyderabad for 233 on Day 1, began their innings with the loss of skipper Priyank Panchal for 5 runs. A partnership between Kathan Patel and Bhargav Merai took Gujarat to 60, before Mehdi Hassan picked up the wicket of Merai. In the span of ten overs, the tourists faltered to 99/4 before Manprit Juneja dug the side out of trouble. Juneja’s knock of 94, alongside help from Rujul Bhatt, helped Gujarat take a 62-run lead at the end of Day 2.Â
Sachin Baby joins the party as Kerala post 525/9d
Brief scores : Delhi 10/0 (Tejas Baroka 3/128) trail Kerala 525/9d (Sachin Baby 155) by 515 runsÂ
Kerala added to their overnight score of 276/3, with Sachin Baby and Salman Nizar putting up a 156-run partnership for the 6th wicket. Further, with the tail-enders, Sachin Baby scored 155 runs as Kerala declared their innings on 525 at the twilight overs of the day. Delhi were unscathed for the last ten minutes, as they reached to 10/0 at the end of a feast-day for the Kerala batsmen.Â
Mandeep Singh leads Punjab’s reply in pursuit of Rajasthan’s 257
Brief scores : Punjab 247/5 (Mandeep Singh 106*) trail Rajasthan 257 (SK Sharma 3/67) by 10 runsÂ
Mandeep Singh’s unbeaten knock of 106 brought Punjab within touching distance of Rajasthan’s first innings total of 257 on Day 2. In his knock of 106, the right-hander scored 16 boundaries while Gurukeerat Singh Mann chipped in with a knock of 68 and Anmol Malhotra remaining not out on 50 alongside the skipper Mandeep. SK Sharma and Tanveer Ul-Haq were the only saving grace for Rajasthan as they picked up 5 wickets between them.Â
Ganesh Satish hands Vidarbha lead against Andhra Pradesh
Brief scores : Vidarbha 268/4 (Ganesh Sathish 113) lead Andhra Pradesh 211 (C Stephen 3/76) by 57 runsÂ
Day 2 started badly for the defending champions as their top-order batsmen Faiz Fazal and Wasim Jaffer fell in a span of six deliveries to put Vidarbha in a spot of bother. However, veteran Ganesh Satish and Sanjay Raghunath built a partnership getting closer to Andhra Pradesh’s first innings total of 211. After Sanjay’s dismissal, Sathish and Mohit Kale took the away side to a 30-run lead before Kale’s dismissal late in the day. Satish ended the day on 113*, with Vidarbha looking to pile up to Andhra’s misery.Â
