Ranji Trophy 2018-19: Kerala bowled out for 185 before reducing Gujarat to 97/4 on Day 1; Karnataka grab control over Rajasthan

Kerala hit back to reduce Gujarat to 97 for 4 after being bowled out for 185 in 39.3 overs on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals here Tuesday. Gujarat won the toss and sent the host into bat and struck at regular intervals to take control. Opener Mohammed Azharudeen (17) was the first to go, bowled by Rush Kalaria. After a 23-run partnership, Kerala lost the wickets of P Rahul (26), Sijomon Joseph and Sachin Baby at the score of 52. [caption id=“attachment_4393551” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty Images[/caption] Star batsman Sanju Samson, who has featured for India in T20 internationals, retired hurt, to dent Kerala’s chances. Samson retired hurt on 17 after being hit on his hand. Medium-pacers Roosh Kalari (2 for 63) and C T Gaja (4 for 57) did most of the damage. Sandeep Warrier and Basil Thampi scalped two each to lead the Kerala fightback. Thampi struck a big blowwhen he dismissed Parthiv for 43 as Gujarat trails by 88 runs. Brief scores: Kerala 185 all out in 39.3 overs (Basil Thampi 37, P Rahul 26, Vinoop Sheela Manoharan 25, C T Gaja 4 for 57) vs Kerala 97 for 4 in 24 overs (Parthiv Patel 43, Sandeep Warrier 2 for 21, Basil Thampi 2 for 36). Karnataka grab 1st day honours, bowl Rajasthan out for 224 Karnataka grabbed honours on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal, bowling out formidable Rajasthan for 224 in their first innings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here Tuesday. At stumps, Karnataka were 12 without loss in five overs with openers Ravikumar Samarth and Dega Nischal batting on seven and five, respectively. The day also saw a couple of bad decisions by the umpires. Robin Bist’s leg before dismissal came despite the ball climbing up and Rajesh Bishnoi was lucky to survive off K Gowtham. Sent into bat, none of the batsmen made any significant contributions, except for skipper Mahipal Lomror (50) and Rajesh Bishnoi (79) hitting fifties batting lower down the order. All the bowlers were among the wickets, barring Ronit More. Gowtham and Abhimanyu Mithun bagged three wickets each to emerge as highest wicket-takers. Rajasthan began their innings poorly by loosing opener Amitkumar Gautam with just 18 runs on the board. Chetan Bist and Lomror consolidated, but the former was cleaned up by Shreyas Gopal, leaving the visitors at 64 for two. Karnataka bagged two quick wickets – of Robin Bist (13) and Ashok Maneria (0) – through Vinay Kumar and Gopal. Rajasthan further lost two wickets of Salman Khan (7) and Lomror, leaving the side struggling at 135 for six. An 85-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Deepak Chahar (22) and Bishnoi brought some respectability to Rajasthan’s total, before Chahar left the scene at 220 for seven after being adjudged leg before to Gowtham. Mithun and Gowtham ended the innings with figures of 3/48 and 3/54, respectively. Vinay and Shreyas bagged two wickets each. Brief scores: Rajasthan first innings: 224 all out in 77.1 overs (Mahipal Lomror 50, Rajesh Bishnoi 79; Abimanyu Mithun 3/48, Krishappa Gowtham 3/54 Karnataka first innings: 12 for no loss in 5 overs. Rinku Singh’s aggressive ton guides UP to 340/7 against Saurashtra Middle-order batsman Rinku Singh struck a fluent century to guide Uttar Pradesh to 340 for seven in their first innings on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Saurashtra, here on Tuesday. Rinku made 150 off just 181 balls with the help of 19 boundaries to take Uttar Pradesh out of trouble after the hosts were reduced to 54 for 4 at one stage on the first day of the four-day match. Rinku stitched two crucial partnerships – 145 runs for the fifth wicket with Priyam Garg (49) and 85 runs with Umesh Yadav for the sixth wicket – to keep Uttar Pradesh afloat. Besides Rinku and Priyam, opener Madhav Kaushik (37), Saurabh Kumar (26 not out) and Shivam Mavi (28 not out) also made useful contributions with the bat. Left-arm orthodox bowler Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (3/111) was the most successful bowler for Saurashtra, while skipper Jaydev Unadkat (2/65) also chipped in with two wickets. Free from national duty, India’s middle-order mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara is turning out for Saurashtra in the last-eight encounter. Brief Scores: Uttar Pradesh 1st innings: 340 for 7 in 90 overs (Rinku Singh 150; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 3/111). Sudha, Panwar rescue Uttarakhand Middle-order batsman Avneesh Sudha hit a patient 91 to guide Uttarakhand to a respectable 293 for six against reigning champions Vidarbha on day one of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final here on Tuesday. Put in to bat at the Vidarbha Cricket Association’s Stadium in Jamtha, Uttarakhand lost their skipper and opener Vineet Saxena (5) early after he was cleaned up by medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani. The visitors were in a spot of bother as they lost two more wickets in quick succession - Vaibhav Bhatt (5) and Karnaveer Kaushal (31) - and were reduced to 44 for 3. But then Sudha, a right-handed batsman, along with Vaibhav Singh Panwar (67 off 128 balls) resurrected the visitors’ innings and steadied their ship. The duo conjured a crucial 140-run stand for the fourth wicket to bail the side out of trouble and frustrate the Vidarbha bowlers. Sudha, in his 180-ball innings, struck 14 boundaries. The stand was broken when Panwar, who hit 12 boundaries in his knock, was dismissed when Uttarakhand were 4-184. After Panwar’s departure, Saurabh Rawat (68 not out) joined Sudha as the two added 48 runs for the fifth wicket. But then Sudha missed a deserving hundred after being caught and bowled by off-spinner Akshay Wakhare. At the close of play, Mayank Mishra (1 not out) was holding the fort with Rawat, who has struck eight fours and two other hits over the rope so far. For the hosts, medium pacers Gurbani (2-72), Umesh Yadav (2-74) and spinner Wakhare (2-46) picked up two wickets each. Brief Scores: Uttarakhand 293 for 6 (Avneesh Sudha 91, Saurabh Rawat 68 not out; Akshay Wakhare 2-46) versus Vidarbha.