Kerala, Mumbai and Punjab registered convincing wins in the second round of the Ranji Trophy, while Jharkhand held Maharashtra to a draw after a determined second-innings fightback.
Jalaj Saxena and Mohit Avasthi claimed five-wicket hauls to set up innings victories for Kerala and Mumbai, while Uday Saharan followed his 161 with an unbeaten 40 to guide Punjab home.
Kerala vs Odisha
Saxena fifer seals win
Jalaj Saxena’s five-wicket haul helped Kerala complete an innings-and-36-run win over Odisha in the Group C match in Thiruvananthapuram. Odisha resumed their second innings on 102/4 and added only 41 before being bowled out for 143. Saxena finished with 5/34. Mohammed Azharuddeen’s unbeaten 139 earned him the Player of the Match award.
Brief scores: Kerala 404 beat Odisha 225 and 143 all out (Gourav Choudhary 53, Subhranshu Senapati 30; Jalaj Saxena 5/34, Aditya Sarwate 2/45) by an innings and 36 runs. Points: Kerala 7, Odisha 0.
Mumbai vs Himachal Pradesh
Avasthi spearheads Mumbai victory
Mohit Avasthi’s five-wicket haul helped Mumbai make it two wins in a row as they beat Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs in the Group D match in Bilaspur. Mumbai declared on 528/8, and Himachal, who had made 140 in the first innings, were bowled out for 291. Avasthi finished with 5/44.
Brief scores: Mumbai 528/8 declared beat Himachal Pradesh 140 and 291 all out (Vaibhav Kalta 63, Pukhraj Mann 50; Mohit Avasthi 5/44, Shams Mulani 2/52, Tushar Deshpande 2/70) by an innings and 97 runs. Points: Mumbai 7, Himachal Pradesh 0.
Punjab vs Chhattisgarh
Saharan steers Punjab home
Uday Saharan followed his first-innings 161 with an unbeaten 40 as Punjab chased 86 to beat Chhattisgarh by seven wickets in the Group B match in New Chandigarh. Aayush Pandey’s 111 gave Chhattisgarh hope in the second innings, but Harjas Singh and Emanjot Singh Chahal took three wickets each to bowl them out for 335 and leave Punjab a small target.
Brief scores: Punjab 456 and 86/3 in 16.5 overs (Uday Saharan 40 not out; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 2/40) beat Chhattisgarh 206 and 335 all out in 116.2 overs (Aayush Pandey 111, Amandeep Khare 62; Emanjot Singh Chahal 3/43, Harjas Singh 3/92) by seven wickets. Points: Punjab 6, Chhattisgarh 0.
Jharkhand vs Maharashtra
Shikhar leads Jharkhand resistance
Shikhar Mohan’s 127 helped Jharkhand draw with Maharashtra in the Group C match in Pune. Jharkhand had conceded a first-innings lead of 358, but reached 344/8 in the second innings to deny Maharashtra an outright win. Utkarsh Singh made 58 and Aditya Singh 51 as Jharkhand held on.
Brief scores: Jharkhand 169 and 344/8 in 136 overs (Shikhar Mohan 127, Utkarsh Singh 58, Aditya Singh 51; Siddesh Veer 3/41, Rajvardhan Hangargekar 3/99) drew with Maharashtra 527/5 declared. Points: Maharashtra 3, Jharkhand 1.