Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group B - Naman Ojha, Yash Dubey lead Madhya Pradesh fightback against Railways
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Naman Ojha’s century and Yash Dubey’s unbeaten 79 ensured Madhya Pradesh ended day three with a 188-run lead over Railways. Saurashtra enforced the follow-on against Karnataka, while Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh inched closer to a first-innings lead over Tamil Nadu and Baroda respectively.
Ojha, Dubey to the rescue for Madhya PradeshÂ
A wet outfield forced a delayed start to proceedings at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi on day three. But Madhya Pradesh had their backs up against the wall as they resumed play trailing by 73 runs with eight wickets in hand. With the chips down, it was their skipper who lifted them out of trouble with a composed 118, which included 12 fours and a six. Walking in at No.7 for a change, Dubey then strengthened their hand with an unbeaten 79, with nine fours. He was ably supported by a 41-ball 36 from Venkatesh Iyer, who batted through to stumps.
Jaydev Unadkat’s five-fer chokes Karnataka
A five-wicket haul from the skipper and three from Kamlesh Makvana meant that Saurashtra were able to back up their batting dominance in the field as well. Having posted a mammoth total of 581 for seven (decl.), they blew away their visitors for a mere 171 — which meant a 410-run lead and a certain decision to ensure the follow-on. While the Karnataka top-order succumbed to the left-arm seam of Unadkat, Makvana’s off-break proved the undoing for the middle and lower-order batsmen. Opener Ravikumar Samarth top-scored with 63, while Praveen Dubey remained unbeaten on 46 for Karnataka. Following on, they reached 30 for no loss at stumps on day three.
Hardworking Mumbai close to a first-innings lead
A makeshift Mumbai side continued to gain on the momentum from the opening days against Tamil Nadu. On a slow day, which only saw 183 runs being made, they sent seven of the away side’s batsmen packing by tea. However, a 32-over old unbroken partnership between Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore recovered things somewhat in the final part of play on day three. Aditya Tare, the Mumbai skipper, used as many as eight bowlers but failed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Despite the late resistance, the home side still trail Mumbai by 239 runs, with a full day’s play to go.
Baroda lose six wickets for 30 runs, trail UP by 252 runs
Despite the match losing an entire morning session due to bad light, things looked bright for Baroda, whose top-order made a bold start in their reply to UP’s first-innings total of 431. Aditya Waghmode (49) and Vishnu Solanki — top-scorer with 91, including 11 fours — put together a 96-run stand before Saurabh Kumar and Wajid Ali triggered a collapse. None of the Baroda batsman from No.4 to No.11 managed a double-digit score, ending the day at 179 for eight — still 252 runs behind UP’s total. Saurabh picked up three for 36, while Wajid’s two for 45 and skipper Ankit Rajpoot’s two for 58 played supporting roles.
