Ranji Trophy round-up: Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer slam centuries for Mumbai; snake scare in Bengal

Iyer, Rohit slam tons to place Mumbai on top against UP Mumbai: Youngster Shreyas Iyer slammed his third ton of the season, a strokeful 137, while senior batsman Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 110 as Mumbai made an imposing 407 for 4 on day one of their Group B Ranji Trophy match against Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. Making full use of UP captain Suresh Raina’s decision to field after winning the toss, Mumbai rode on the two centuries plus useful contributions from captain Aditya Tare (30), fellow-opener Akhil Herwadkar (58) and Suryakumar Yadav (58) to dominate on a batting track at the Wankhede Stadium. [caption id=“attachment_2376698” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File picture of Rohit Sharma. BCCI[/caption] While Iyer hit five sixes and 14 fours in his 110-knock that lasted three hours, Sharma - released from the first Test team after failing to make the eleven at Mohali - utilised the opportunity to occupy the crease for 194 minutes while striking one six and 13 fours in 128 balls. Both the batsmen played strokes all round the wicket and hardly looked in trouble against UP attack that was without left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar, who took ten wickets in their previous game against Gujarat at Valsad. After the openers put on 55 for the first wicket, Iyer got involved in a century stand worth 106 with left-handed Herwadkar for the second wicket and then put on 98 for the third wicket with Sharma who started slowly before opening up to notch his 14th Ranji ton. Iyer, who scored 173 against Baroda and 200 against Punjab, apart from an invaluable 83 against Tamil Nadu earlier, compiled his fifth first class hundred before edging Bhuvneshwar Kumar to wicket keeper Eklavya Dwivedi in the second over after tea. However, Sharma continued to punish the bowlers as he added 99 runs for the fourth wicket with Yadav to demoralise the UP attack. At stumps, Siddesh Lad (12) was with him. Bhuvneshwar, also released from the Indian Test squad to play this game, was the most successful bowler with figures of 2 for 97 while tall Ankit Rajput and part-time bowler Umang Sharma secured the other two wickets to fall. Brief scores: Mumbai 407 for 4 (A Herwadkar 58, S Iyer 137, R Sharma not out 110, S Yadav 58, S Lad not out 12; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2 for 97) v UP. Saini blows away Maharashtra, Delhi gain upper hand despite Gambhir’s failure New Delhi: Young paceman Navdeep Saini rocked the Maharashtra top-order in a career-best haul of six for 32 as Delhi bowled out the visitors for a paltry 80 to take control of their Ranji Trophy Group A match. In a sensational spell, 22-year-old Saini polished off the top-five batsmen to reduce Maharashtra to 52 for five after the visitors opted to bat at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground. Pradeep Sangwan (2/19) and Manan Sharma (2/25) shared four wickets between them as Delhi needed just 25.4 overs to wrap up the Maharashtra innings. [caption id=“attachment_2317110” align=“alignright” width=“380”] File picture of Gautam Gambhir. AP[/caption] Only three visiting batsmen – opener Harshad Khadiwale (21), Ankit Bawne (16) and Sangram Atitikar (16) – managed a double-digit score. Delhi were leading by 77 runs as they ended the opening day at 157 for four with Dhruv Shorey (54 batting) and Nitish Rana (59) scoring half-centuries. Skipper Gautam Gambhir did not get a substantial score, bowled by Samad Fallah for six and his opening partner Unmukt Chand (4) also fell cheaply. Shorey and Rana added 99 runs for the third wicket to stabilise the innings but. Paceman Shrikant Mundhe broke the stand by trapping Rana and wicket-keeper batsman Rishab Pant (19) also his wicket but Shorey kept the one end tight. Giving Shorey company was Milind Kumar (8). Brief Scores: Maharashtra 1st innings: 80 all out in 25.4 overs(H Khadiwale 21, A Bawane 16; N Saini 6/32) Delhi 157 for 4 in 52 overs.(D Shorey 54 batting, N Rana 59; S Mundhe 2/48). Wakhare takes four to trigger Bengal mid innings collapse as snake enters field of play Kolkata: Hosts Bengal squandered a splendid 118-run opening partnership to close day one at 217/7 as Vidarbha rode on offspinner Akshay Wakhare 4/40 to bounce back in their Ranji Trophy cricket match. Abhimanyu Easwaran (58; 135b; 10x4) and Sayan Sekhar Mondal’s careerbest 56 (146b; 8x4) gave Bengal a spectacular start after they were put in to bat on a greentop at the Jadavpur University (second campus) ground in Saltlake. But the hosts went on to lose four wickets for 22 runs with left-arm seamer Shrikant Wagh (2/34) and Wakhare springing into action as skipper Manoj Tiwary (3) and Shreevats Goswami (1) went cheaply. With wickets falling at the other end, it was left-hand batsman Sudip Chatterjee who hung around at No 3 to arrest the slide and remained unbeaten on 49 with Pragyan Ojha (one) at the other end at stumps. The match encountered an unlikely ‘visitor’ when about a four-feet long snake slithered into the field, halting the proceedings briefly at the Jadavpur University second campus ground in Saltlake. The incident happened in the pre-lunch session when Vidarbha seamer Swapnil Bandiwar was getting to his run up to bowl the penultimate delivery in the 22nd over as the snake, believed to be a non-poisonous one, entered from the pavillion end. As Bandiwar was caught unaware, a Bengal support staff was soon pressed into action and was seen shooing the reptile away. “The snake was also spotted near the Bengal dressing room but we put chemicals to shoo it away,” a Bengal cricket official said. “We’re taking all precautionary measures so that no snake is spotted in the remaining days,” he added. The match is being held at the JU second campus ground in Saltlake as Eden Gardens ground is closed for repair. The area was previously filled with dense jungle and was converted into the ground a few years back. In the match, Easwaran notched his sixth first class half-century in the post-lunch session, while two overs later Mondal struck his maiden 50 to give Bengal a perfect start. Soon all hell broke loose for Bengal after Easwaran edged one behind the stumps with Wagh giving the breakthrough in the 44th over. Fresh from his seven-wicket match haul in their win over Maharashtra, Wakhare joined in the party castling Mondal in space of nine balls. Wagh then took the big scalp of the Bengal skipper who perished after poking at an away going delivery to be dismissed caught behind. Wakhare continued his marathon 18-over spell and took four wickets. Asked about the greentop on offer, Wakhare said: “The pitch looks deceptive… If you bowl in the right areas, the ball is drifting. Scoring is difficult as it has some uneven bounce. We’ll try to wrap Bengal under 250.” For Bengal, it all will depend on how Chatterjee and Ojha bat in the early morning conditions tomorrow. Brief Scores: Bengal 217/7; 82 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 58, Sayan Sekhar Mondal 56, Sudip Chatterjee 49 batting; Akshay Wakhare 4/40, Shrikant Wagh 2/34) vs Vidarbha. Dogra tears apart Services attack Dharamsala: Paras Dogra scored an unbeaten 174 to take Himachal Pradesh to 352 for four on day one of their Ranji Trophy match against Services. Dogra forged a 203-run stand with Nikhil Gangta (93* off 146), leading a remarkable recovery for the hosts who were 90 for three at one stage. Both Dogra and Gangta scored at a brisk pace, something that was evident with a strike rate of 84.05 and 63.69 respectively. Dogra especially took the opposition to the cleaners, smashing 14 fours and seven sixes in his blistering innings. Gangta was not far behind with nine fours and a three sixes. Brief scores: 352/4 in 90 overs (Paras Dogra 174 batting, Nikhil Gangta 93 batting; Diwesh Pathani 3/66). Panchal scores century; Irfan Pathan makes impact on return Valsad: Opener Priyank Kirit Panchal made a fine hundred as Gujarat reached 281 for four on day one of their Ranji Trophy match against Baroda. [caption id=“attachment_1458729” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File picture of Irfan Pathan. Reuters[/caption] Panchal pocketed 17 fours in his patient knock before Manpreet Juneja struck an unbeaten 50 towards the end of day. Juneja was batting alongside Rush Kalaria at close of play. Irfan Pathan, returning to action after a long lay off, picked up two wickets for Baroda and was the pick of the bowlers. Smit Patel (57) gave his opening partner Panchal good support as they shared a 119 run partnership. Brief scores: 281/4 in 85 overs (Priyank Kirit Panchal 128 batting, Manpreet Juneja 50 battng; Irfan Pathan 2/30). Haryana struggling at 140/7 against Assam Lahli: Medium pacer Krishna Das led the way with four wickets as Assam restricted Haryana to 140 for seven in their Group A Ranji Trophy cricket match. Das picked up four for 44 after Haryana skipper Mohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium. Only 60 overs of play was possible on the first day of the match owing to bad light. Medium pacer Dhiraj Goswami played the supporting role to Das, picking up three wickets for 37 runs in 19 overs. For the hosts, Himanshu Rana top-scored with 56 off 119 balls, which included five hits to the fence. Rohit Sharma was the unbeaten batsman on 42 when the stumps were drawn. Sharma one boundary in his patient knock that consumed 121 balls. Rahul Dalal (17) was the only other batsman to reach double digit. The third-wicket partnership pf 72 runs between Rana and Sharma was the best of the day. Maiden tons for Kishan, Anand in Jharkhand’s super start Jamshedpur: Left-handed opener Ishan Kishan and Anand Singh scored their maiden first class centuries as Jharkhand ended the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match against Jammu and Kashmir at a commanding 304 for three. J&K Paceman Ram Dyal dismissed home opener Shiv Gautam in the very first over but it was long toil for the visitors after that as Kishan (109) and Anand (124) raised a 189-run stand for the second wicket. Rohit Sharma broke the stand by scalping Kishan but Anand and Saurabh Tiwary added another 78 runs for the third wicket. Anand was the last man to be dismissed when he was stumped off rival skipper Parvez Rasool. Tiwary (52) and Ishank Jaggi (17) were at the crease when stumps were drawn for the day. Brief Scores: Jharkhand 1st innings: 304 for 3 in 90 overs. (I Kishan 109, A Singh 124; R Sharma 1/40). Railways all out for 256, MP struggling at 7/2 Gwalior: Jalaj Saxena took an eight-wicket haul to bundle out Railways for 256 in their first innings before Madhya Pradesh were themselves reduced to seven for two at the end of the opening day’s play for their Ranji Trophy Group B match. Electing to bat, opener Saurabh Wakaskar (73) and V Cheluvaraj (50) contributed with half-centuries but Saxena (8/96) along with his spin partner Ankit Sharma (2/58) wreaked havoc. Faiz Ahmed (30) and Anureet Singh (35 not out) also chipped in with some important runs to take the Railways score past 250-run mark. Madhya Pradesh then got off to a poor start, losing two early wickets. At stumps Jalaj Saxena was batting on five and Naman Ojha was yet to open his account. Brief scores: Railways: 256 (Saurabh Wakaskar 73, V Cheluvaraj 50; Jalaj Saxena 8/96). Madhya Pradesh: 7 for 2 in 8 overs Tamil Nadu bowl out Andhra for 204 Chennai: Tamil Nadu bowled out Andhra for 204 on the first day of their Group B Ranji Trophy cricket match. Opting to bat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Andhra were off to a disastrous start losing two wickets with just two runs on the board. Srikar Bharat (56) and Ricky Bhui (35) steadied the ship with a 70-run partnership for the third wicket, before the Bhui fell to Baba Aparajith. A G Pradeep top-scored for the visitors with a 159-ball 78. He struck six boundaries and a six, and was involved in two half-century stands with Bharat and Bodavarapu Sudhakar (27). D T Chandrasekar was the pick of Tamil Nadu bowlers, picking up four wickets for 41 runs. Malolan Rangarajan had three scalps to his name. Only 77.2 overs of play could be possible owing to bad light. Misal hits century, Goa all out for 239 Rajkot, Nov 7 (PTI) Darshan Misal scored an unbeaten century to single-handedly take Goa past 200-run mark before they were bundled out for 239 in their first innings on day one of their Ranji Trophy Group C cricket match here today. At stumps, Saurashtra reached four for no loss with MA Dodia (4) and Avi Barot (0) at the crease. Opting to bat, Goa lost four wickets for just 79 runs on the board before Misal came to the team’s rescue with a 208-ball 106 not out that included 14 hits to the fence. Misal also put on a solid 71-run stand for the seven wicket with Rituraj Singh (45). For Saurashtra, D Jadeja (3/41) and Saurya Sanandiya (3/51) shared six wickets between them. Brief scores: Goa: 239 (Darshan Misal 106; D Jadeja 3/41, Saurya Sanandiya 3/51). Saurashtra: Four for no loss in one over.   PTI