Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group B - Ashwin gets four as Tamil Nadu run riot over Railways
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Ravichandran Ashwin and Manimaran Siddharth picked up a four-fer each as Tamil Nadu ran riot in their sixth round contest against Railways at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. In the other three matches, it was the batting sides dominating proceedings throughout the day’s play.
Tamil Nadu toying with Railways on day one
Arindam Ghosh’s decision to bat first backfired immediately as the Tamil Nadu new-ball bowlers had them reeling at 43 for five — Manimaran leading the way with four for 32. Then it was time for the off-spin of Ashwin to wreak havoc and clean up the tail — Railways managing a total of 76. In reply, Abhinav Mukund and Laxmesha Suryaprakash gave the hosts a flying start, as the duo raced past 150 inside 35 overs. Mukund hit a 115-ball 100, while his partner struck a patient 50, before the two were gone in the space of six balls. Skipper Dinesh Karthik continued the momentum with a quickfire fifty as the team's total reached 236 for four at stumps.
Akshdeep Nath, Rinku Singh keep Uttar Pradesh steady
Electing to bat first against a Mumbai team high on confidence after their strong performance against Tamil Nadu in the previous round, UP were stuttering at 48 for three inside the 20th over. Nath steadied the innings together with Mohammad Saif — the duo adding 96 for the fourth wicket — before the latter fell for 42. But in walked Rinku Singh and together with Nath, the duo closed out the day with no further damage as UP reached 281 for four. Nath’s 115 included 16 fours and two sixes, while Rinku hit seven fours in his unbeaten 71. For Mumbai, Royston Dias and Akash Parkar picked up two wickets each.Â
Sheldon Jackson stars for Saurashtra with unbeaten ton
Winning the toss, Madhya Pradesh skipper Naman Ojha’s decision to send the opposition in to bat was backed up by his frontline bowlers. Ishwar Pandey and Gaurav Yadav had Saurashtra in trouble at 49 for three, before the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara and Sheldon Jackson bailed them out with a 72-run stand. Pujara fell three short of his fifty, but Jackson carried on and completed a high-class hundred, as wickets fell around him. Jackson’s 143, which included 20 fours and a six, finally found support from No.8 Chirag Jani — the duo adding 113 for the seventh wicket. Gaurav was the pick of MP’s bowlers with four for 84 as Saurashtra finished the day on 295 for eight.
Himachal Pradesh reach 314 for five on day one against Baroda
Himachal Pradesh fought back after losing opener Raghav Dhawan cheaply, with his partner Prashant Chopra leading the way with a counter-attacking fifty (56 off 53 balls). At the other end, No.3 Akash Vashist carried on after Chopra fell, making significant partnerships along the way as Himachal crossed 200 with six wickets in hand. Vashist fell 14 short of a century, hitting nine fours in his innings, before Nikhil Gangta (43) and Amit Kumar (55) added 100 more to the total. Baroda skipper Kedar Devdhar tried as many as eight bowlers, with Lukman Meriwala and Swapnil Singh returning with two wickets each.
