Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | Elite Group A - Kerala, Vidarbha in trouble; Bengal set to post mammoth total
Kerala and Vidarbha were bowled out cheaply — for 162 against Andhra Pradesh and 142 against Gujarat respectively — on day one of the seventh round matches in Elite Group A. Meanwhile, Rajasthan bowled Hyderabad out for 171, while Bengal reached 286 for five on day one against Delhi.
Defending champions bundled out of 142 against Gujarat
Having elected to bat first, Vidarbha skipper Faiz Fazal fell cheaply, before his partner Aniruddha Choudhari and Mohit Kale saw the team through to drinks, reaching 57 for one. A post-lunch collapse triggered by left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai, who finished with four for 40, saw the visitors slip to 89 for five by lunchtime. The collapse continued past lunch as Vidarbha were eventually bowled out for 142, with Roosh Kalaria picking up three for 31. Choudhari top-scored for the visitors with 42, while Umesh Yadav made 25 off 12 balls late on. In reply, the hosts made a steady start, before Samit Gohel fell to Aditya Thakare for 25. However, skipper Parthiv Patel (31 not out) and Bhargav Merai (29 not out) continued on as Gujarat reached 88 for one at stumps.
Rajasthan all over Hyderabad on day one
A disciplined bowling performance from the Rajasthan attack made up for the lost toss, as Hyderabad crumbled to 171 all out in the first innings in home conditions. Aniket Choudhary had skipper Tanmay Agarwal trapped in front before Rituraj Singh picked up three quick wickets to leave the hosts reeling at 33 for 4 after 26 overs. Wicket-keeper batsman Kolla Sumanth then joined Bavanaka Sandeep and the duo added 45 runs before another double-blow left Hyderabad at 79 for six. Sumanth, top-scorer with 51, and Chama Milind rescued the innings somewhat with a 75-run stand before Choudhary returned to clean up the tail. In reply, Rajasthan safely reached two for no loss at stumps.
Shoaib Khan fifer leads charge against Kerala
As Shoaib and Co. unleashed their medium-fast deliveries at the CSR Sharma College Ground in Ongole, the Kerala batsman were once again found wanting. Sent into bat, the visitors never got going at any stage, as marquee player Robin Uthappa (17) failed again. However, he was only one of seven Kerala batsman who got off to starts but failed to convert them. In the end, it was 53-ball 42 from Basil Thampi which saw them past the 150-mark. Shoaib finished with five for 62, while KV Sasikanth and Yarra Prithviraj returned with figures of two for 38 and three for 37 respectively. In reply, Andhra lost one wicket — that of CR Gnaneshwar for 14 — despite their cautious batting, which saw the hosts through to 57 for one at stumps.
Anustup Majumdar, Shreevats Goswami hit fifties for Bengal
Despite a wobbly start after being asked to bat, Bengal salvaged the day with two big partnerships post-lunch to draw close to the 300-mark in the first innings. Koushik Ghosh kept things steady at one end early on, as wickets fell around him, including that of the in-form Manoj Tiwary. Ghosh became the fourth wicket of the day as he fell four short of a fifty early in the second session, with his team’s total exactly on 100. Majumdar and Goswami initiated the rebuilding with a 117-run stand, with Goswami hitting 10 fours en route his 59. After Goswami’s dismissal, Shahbaz Ahmed joined Majumdar, who ended the day 94 not out, and added another 69 runs. For the visitors, left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra picked up three wickets.