Yuvraj Singh's 187 frustrates Gujarat while Unmukt Chand carries Delhi to victory in Ranji Trophy: Day 4 Roundup
In an awe-inspiring performance, Yuvraj Singh reminded the selectors of his abilities with a flamboyant century against Gujarat in Mohali. His knock of 187 from 233 balls included 14 fours and 7 sixes, came against a bowling unit which included the likes of RP Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Ramesh Powar and powered Punjab to a massive score of 608. Bharghav Bhatt shone amidst the carnage with an 8-wicket haul. In reply, the Gujarat batsmen resisted a buoyed Punjabi outfit to ensure that the match was drawn.
Gujarat 467 & 135/4 (Merai 56, Ladda 2-60); Punjab 608 (Yuvraj 187, Vohra 104, Bhatt 8-151) – Match Drawn
At the Feroz Shah Kotla, Unmukt Chand's mature innings helped Delhi post a thrilling victory over Virender Sehwag's Haryana. After Manan Sharma had dismissed Haryana for 265, Delhi approached the target of 224 with positive intent and despite striking at regular intervals, Haryana could not prevent Delhi from sealing the chase. Sehwag scored a breezy half-century but was overshadowed by Chand’s tranquil 99.
Haryana 195 & 265 (Sehwag 51, Manan 6-105); Delhi 237 & 225/6 (Chand 99, Harshal 4-76) – Delhi Won by 4 wickets
In another nail-biting encounter between Tamil Nadu and Mumbai in Bandra, the home team held their nerve and triumphed by 1 wicket. In a shocking batting display, Tamil Nadu collapsed to 95 all out and left Mumbai with only 236 runs to chase. Resuming on 73/7, the visiting batsmen were undone by Vishal Dabholkar’s remarkable spell. Mumbai were cruising towards the finish line at 202/4. But, a flurry of wickets breathed life into the match but in the end Mumbai recorded a close win riding on Shreyas Iyer’s aggressive 83.
Tamil Nadu 434 & 95 (Dabholkar 7-53); Mumbai 294 & 236/9 (Iyer 83, Rahil 4-78) – Mumbai Won by 1 wicket
In a match embroiled with controversy after numerous erroneous umpiring decisions, the final day ended without any drama. Karun Nair and Samarth batted with authority as they scored unbeaten centuries against Vidarbha at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. With no chance of a result possible, it served as ideal batting practice for the duo and they nullified a benign bowling attack.
Karnataka 350 & 331/3 decl. (Samarth 121*, Nair 101*, Bandiwar 2-50); Vidarbha 310 & 17/0 – Match Drawn
Shahbaz Nadeem’s inspired spell delivered a rousing win for Jharkhand against Kerala in Malappuram. Chasing 317, Kerala began assuredly as they reached 127-2. However, Nadeem ran through the batting line-up to defeat Kerala by a huge margin.
Jharkhand 202 & 262; Kerala 148 & 183 (Kodoth 72, Nadeem 7-64) – Jharkhand Won by 133 runs
In an appalling batting performance, Uttar Pradesh were dismantled for 58 by Railways in Ghaziabad. From 155/3, the Railways batsmen batted with a declaration in mind and set an almost impossible target of 341 for the home team in around 2 sessions. What followed was a hilarious approach to the art of batting as the new-ball duo of Anureet Singh and Krishnakant Upadhyay laid the Uttar Pradesh batting line-up to waste giving Railways an unlikely victory.
Railways 375 & 229/4 Declared (Faiz 80, Ashish 60); Uttar Pradesh 264 & 58 (Sarfaraz 5 off 85 balls, Anureet 5-15, Upadhyay 4-32) – Railways Won by 282 runs
The contest between Baroda and Andhra Pradesh tapered off to a draw. On a sluggish surface in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh continued to pile on the runs. Baroda batted briefly in their 2nd innings before both captains decided to shake hands bringing the match to a close.
Baroda 302 & 60/2; Andhra Pradesh 474/6 Declared (Bharat 144, Bhui 116) – Match Drawn
Robin Bist tormented the Hyderabad bowlers by compiling humongous partnerships with Ankush Bains and Rishi Dhawan in Dharamsala. Himachal Pradesh’s astounding batting exploits meant that they batted 195 overs on a harmless surface. Without any assistance for the bowlers throughout, the match ended in a tame draw.
Hyderabad 434 & 2/0; Himachal Pradesh 707/8 Declared (Bist 220*, Bains 161, Rishi 114, Milind 3-161) – Match Drawn
At the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the rain-affected fixture between Rajasthan XI and Bengal finished in a stalemate. Manoj Tiwary’s 83 denied the Rajasthan XI bowlers as Bengal were bowled out for 282. Skipper Ashok Menaria’s obstinate half-century thwarted the Bengal bowlers to lead the match to an impasse.
Rajasthan XI 198 & 146/5 (Menaria 69*, Dinda 2-21); Bengal 282 (Tiwary 83, Ajay 3-72) – Match Drawn