Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group A - Jalaj Saxena bowls Kerala to victory over Punjab

Saxena’s seven-star performance for Kerala

Andhra resumed play on day three with a 12-run lead over Hyderabad’s first innings total of 225, with nine wickets in hand. And courtesy of half-centuries from skipper Hanuma Vihari, Ricky Bhui, and Karan Shinde, they went from strength to strength on the penultimate day, declaring eventually at 489 for eight. With a mountainous 264-run deficit to negate, Hyderabad set out in the most disastrous manner possible, losing three early wickets to the new ball bowling of Paidikalva Vijaykumar (three for eight). With a full day’s play in hand, Andhra only need another seven wickets, while their neighbours need to muster 219 runs if they are to make Andhra bat again.

In stark contrast to the other games in Group A — two already producing a result and the other closing in on one — it was a slow-moving day at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Rajasthan began play at 142 for one — 183 runs behind Gujarat’s first innings total of 325. Gujarat started the day brightly, with Chintan Gaja removing Mahipal Lomror — before he could add anything to his overnight score of 32 and skipper Rohan Bist for nought. But the incoming Ashok Menaria batted the remainder of the day — hitting 11 fours in his patient 86 — to carry Rajasthan to a slender lead at the end of play. He was ably supported by Manender Singh (73), and tail-enders SK Sharma (42) and Tanveer Ul-Haq (30).