Jammu and Kashmir were in a good a position to take the crucial first-innings lead after bowling out Karnataka for 206 on day three of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final in Jammu on Saturday.
A full day’s play was finally possible after not a single ball was bowled on day two due to unfit playing conditions following a brief spell of rain. Only six overs were possible on day one. Resuming the day on 14/2, Karnataka somehow managed to get past the 200-run mark with K Siddharth scoring 76 off 189 balls. Skipper Karun Nair was dismissed by Aquib Nabi on the second ball of the day.
It was a disciplined bowling performance from the home team with Nabi and his new ball partner Mujtaba Yousuf taking three wickets each. J&K skipper and off-spinner Parvez Rasool ran though the tail, ending with three wickets including of Siddharth.
In response, J&K were 88/2 at stumps, needing another 119 runs to take the first-innings lead. With two days left in the game, the lead could prove decisive in the side’s bid to make their first-ever Ranji Trophy semi-finals. At stumps on the third day, Shubham Khajuria was batting on 39 and Shubham Pundir on 16.
Karnataka 206 (Siddharth 76; Nabi 3/45, Yousuf 3/45). J&K 88/2 (Khajuria 39*, Pundir 16*).
Bengal secure first innings lead against Odisha
Bengal rode on a disciplined pace attack to secure a first innings lead against Odisha in Tangi.
The pace troika of Ishan Porel (3/72), Nilkantha Das (3/43) and Mukesh Kumar (3/51) shared nine wickets among them to bundle out Odisha for 250 to secure an 82-run first innings lead.
At close on day three, Bengal were 79/2, extending their overall lead to 161 with Abhishek Raman (4) and in-form senior batsman Manoj Tiwary (3) at crease. With little on offer from the flat DRIEMS Ground in the outskirts of Cuttack, Odisha’s four-pronged pace attack failed to make any use of the new ball as Bengal made a solid start to their second essay.
But it was due to some reckless batting by captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (30) and Koushik Ghosh (41), Bengal lost two wickets for 16 runs after putting on a 60-run opening partnership.
The duo was at its dogged best to see off the new ball as Bengal, who had put up a stunning first innings recovery from being 46/5, started off cautiously in their second essay.
Bengal 332 and 79/2 (Koushik Ghosh 41, Abhimanyu Easwaran 30). Odisha 250 (Debasish Samantray 68, Shantanu Mishra 62, Subhranshu Senapati 46; Nilkantha Das 3/43, Mukesh Kumar 3/51, Ishan Porel 3/72).
Saurashtra take huge lead
Saurashtra took control of their quarter-final against Andhra by dismissing the hosts for 136 to take a massive 283-run first-innings lead in Ongole. By stumps on the third day, the visiting team extended the advantage by reaching 93/2 in their second innings.
Resuming on overnight 40/2 in response to Saurashtra’s first-innings total of 419, opener CR Gnaneshwar (43) and Ricky Bhui (28) put on 53 runs for the third wicket. The two looked assured while negotiating the Saurashtra attack led by skipper Jaydev Unadkat, who was the best bowler for the visiting team, picking up 4/42.
Though they found runs hard to come by, Gnaneshwar and Bhui were willing to grind it out and scored when the bowlers erred in line and length. Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja broke through when he had Gnaneshwar caught behind by Avi Barot.
The ‘keeper was in action again as he caught Bhui two runs later off Chirag Jani’s bowling. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (3/27) and Jani (2/14) blew away the middle and lower-order to put Saurashtra in the driver’s seat. As a result, Andhra capitulated from 117/4.
Unadkat finished things off by getting the wicket of Andhra captain KS Bharat (26). He had, on Friday, removed opener DB Prasanth (1) and Jyothisaikrishna (17) to put the home side in trouble.
Saurashtra 419 (Chirag Jani 121, Perak Mankad 80, Vishvarajsingh Jadeja 73, Sheldon Jackson 50; Prithvi Raj Yarra 3/51, KV Sasikanth 3/149) and 93/2 (Avi Barot 44*, Vishvarajsinh Jadeja 35*) vs Andhra 136 (CR Gnaneshwar 43, Ricky Bhui 28, KS Bharat 26; Jaydev Unadkat 4/42, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 3/27).
Gujarat in complete command
Medium-pacer Chintan Gaja grabbed a five-wicket haul before Gujarat stretched their overall lead to a mammoth 587 runs against Goa in Valsad. Riding centuries by skipper Parthiv Patel and Roosh Kalaria, Gujarat had posted a mammoth 602/8 in their first innings at the Sardar Patel Stadium.
The hosts had sent back both the Goa openers on day two itself. On the third day, led by the 25-year-old Gaja (5/19), Gujarat came up with a clinical performance to bowl out Goa for a meagre 173. However, skipper Parthiv Patel decided not to enforce the follow-on and at stumps, Gujarat had an overall lead of 587 runs.
With two days to go, Goa would need nothing short of a miracle to escape a humiliation. Goa’s overnight batsmen Smit Patel (31) and skipper Amit Verma (56) failed to convert their starts. First, Gaja trapped Patel in front of the wicket and then Verma offered a simple catch to Axar Patel off Roosh Kalaria, as Goa slumped to 104/4. Goa suffered a middle-order collapse and were tottering at 137/7, with three wickets falling at the same score.
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