After recovering from a hole on Day 1, Punjab continued to dominate Andhra at home as they declared their first innings at 592/9. The overnight centurions resumed where they had left off, and Sanvir Singh went on to make 205. Even after the in-form Salil Arora departed for 144, Emanjot Singh Chahal cashed in on the platform to make 122.
Brief scores: Punjab 592/9 dec (Sanvir Singh 205, Salil Arora 144, Emanjot Singh Chahal 122; Kavuri Saiteja 3/110) vs Andhra.
Rajasthan hit back at Dharamsala
At Dharamsala, where 20 wickets fell on the opening day, Tuesday brought batting-friendly conditions. Bowled out for 78 in the first innings, and 75 behind after Himachal made 153, Rajasthan needed a big second-innings total to push for an outright win. Opener Rohan Rajbhar made 140 and Mahipal Lomror supported him with 97 at No 3, leaving Rajasthan on 297/4 at stumps on Day 2, with a lead of 222.
Brief scores: Rajasthan 78 & 297/4 (Rohan Rajbhar 140, Mahipal Lomror 97) lead Himachal Pradesh 153 by 222 runs.
Maiden ton for Ajith Ram
While Pradosh Ranjan Paul’s double century headlined Tamil Nadu’s 571/7 declared, it was spinner S Ajith Ram who took the limelight with a maiden first-class century. In the company of Pradosh he kept Chandigarh at bay, and their 122-run stand for the sixth wicket helped TN build on. After Pradosh fell for 208, Ajith carried on to an unbeaten 115. After the declaration, TN made early inroads to leave Chandigarh at 49/3.
Brief scores: TN 571/7 dec (Pradosh Ranjan Paul 208, S Ajith Ram 115 not out) vs Chandigarh 49/3.
Urvil floors Kerala
Resuming on 63, Urvil Patel’s aggressive batting was again at the forefront as he made an unbeaten 210 off 227 balls against Kerala at Ahmedabad, and Gujarat declared their first innings at 534/9. They had resumed the day at 300/5, and Urvil dominated the proceedings. Once Vishal Jayswal perished for 77, the wicketkeeper’s whirlwind knock gave Kerala a tough task, and they ended the day at 74/3 in reply.