Page 7 - Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy: Pujara scores 63rd first-class ton; Saurashtra in command

Seasoned Cheteshwar Pujara struck his 63rd first-class century while Prerak Mankad and Arpit Vasavada also registered hundreds to give Saurashtra a 387-run first innings lead against Manipur here on Saturday. In reply, Manipur, who where bowled out for 142 in their first essay on Friday, were reeling at 55 for 3 at stumps on second day, still trailing by 332 runs. Resuming the day at 153/3, Saurashtra's stand-in skipper Vasavada (148) and all-rounder Mankad (173) took the Manipur bowling attack to the cleaners, while sharing a 152-run stand for the fourth wicket. Coming in at number 6, Pujara (108 off 105 deliveries), known for his defensive style of play, showcased his class once again smashing less than a run-a-ball century, his 63rd in first class cricket. The 36-year-old hit 12 fours and a six in his unusual knock. Pujara, who is eyeing a return to the Indian Test team, is enjoying a good Ranji season, having already notched up an unbeaten double hundred against Jharkand and

IPL 2024: Ishan Kishan skips Jharkhand Ranji game to play DY Patil T20

Ishan Kishan's absence from Ranji Trophy continued as the wicketkeeper-batter, who plays domestic cricket for Jharkhand, skipped the final round of matches that started on Friday, a move that might not go down well with BCCI especially after the diktat from secretary Jay Shah. Jharkhand are playing Rajasthan in Jamshedpur and even Deepak Chahar, who is currently training with the Chennai Super Kings, skipped the last round Ranji game. It is learnt that Kishan was asked by a senior member of the Indian team think-tank to play Ranji Trophy in order to make a comeback to the Test team but the flamboyant keeper-batter has reportedly said he was "working on certain technical aspects" of his game and was not ready for red-ball cricket. The 25-year-old from Patna, who is currently training with his Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya in Baroda, is set to make a comeback to competitive cricket for his employers Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai's DY Patil T20 tournament. DY Patil T20 is a .

Despite BCCI's mandate, Ishan Kishan's absence from Ranji Trophy continues

Ishan Kishan's absence from Ranji Trophy continued as the wicketkeeper-batter, who plays domestic cricket for Jharkhand, skipped the final round of matches that started on Friday, a move that will not go down well with BCCI. Kishan's reluctance to play first-class cricket and focus only on the IPL forced the BCCI to make a minimum number of Ranji Trophy games mandatory for players in order to be eligible for the cash-rich league's lucrative auction pool. Deepak Chahar and Shreyas Iyer are also missing in action in the ongoing final round of matches that started across venues. Iyer was, however, having issues with his lower back and groin. These three players -- Kishan, Chahar and Iyer -- were specifically told to play for their respective state teams in first-class cricket. In the absence of Kishan, Kumar Kushagra continued doing wicket-keeping duties for Jharkhand. Jharkhand, who have only one win and 10 points from six matches so far, are playing Rajasthan at home in their final

India's centrally contracted players will have to play Ranji: Jay Shah

India's centrally contracted players will have to mandatorily play red-ball cricket in domestic circuit and the BCCI will not tolerate any excuses for the same, said secretary Jay Shah here on Wednesday. Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the renaming of the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Shah said the chairman of selectors will be given a free hand to take a call on his own if a player refuses to follow instructions given by the team management. It was reported by PTI earlier that the BCCI will be making it mandatory for Indian players to appear in the Ranji trophy for at least three or four matches in case they wish to play in the IPL. "They have been informed on phone already and I'm going to write letters as well that if your chairman of selectors, your coach and your captain are asking for it then you will have to play red-ball cricket," Shah told the media. However, Shah said that it was to happen in accordance with the guidance from the national cricket

IND vs ENG: Mukesh Kumar released from India squad, to play Ranji Trophy

India released pacer Mukesh Kumar from the squad before the third Test against England here, allowing him to join Bengal for their Ranji Trophy game against Bihar on Friday. The right-armer, who played the second Test in Visakhapatnam, will join back the Indian squad for the fourth game, scheduled to be played in Ranchi from February 23. "Mr Mukesh Kumar has been released from the India squad for the third Test against England in Rajkot, the BCCI said in statement "He will join his Ranji Trophy team, Bengal, for the team's next fixture before linking up with Team India in Ranchi," it added. Mukesh, who was replaced by Mohammed Siraj in the playing XI for the thirst Test on Thursday, struggled in Visakhpatnam, with the England batters taking him to the cleaners. The 30-year-old bowled the least number of overs, registering figures of 0/44 in 7 overs in the first innings and 1/26 in 5 overs in the second essay. His sole wicket was that of England number 10 Shoaib Bashir. The ...

IPL 2024: Here's what Ishan Kishan doing after skipping Ranji Trophy

Since Ishan returned from South Africa, his domestic side Jharkhand has played five matches against quality sides like defending champions Saurashtra, Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Services

Ranji Trophy: Pandey helps Karnataka eke out one-wicket win over Railways

Veteran batter Manish Pandey conjured all his experience to score an unbeaten fifty that helped Karnataka eke out a nervy one-wicket win over Railways on the third day of their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy match here on Sunday. Chasing a tricky target of 226 to win, Karnataka huffed their way to 229 for 9 as Pandey stayed unbeaten on 67 off 121 balls with six fours and a six. Earlier, Railway, who resumed from overnight 209 for eight, were bowled out for 244 in their second innings. Pacer Vysakh Vijayakumar, who later did his bit with bat as well, was the most successful bowler for Karnataka with a fifer (5/67). With this win, Karnataka has topped the Group C with 21 points and are poised to enter the knockouts with two more league matches pending. After the early departure of opener Dega Nischal (1), Karnataka appeared to be on the right track as Ravikumar Samarth (35) and KV Aneesh (34) guided their side to 70 for 1, adding 69 runs for the second wicket. But from that point, Karn

Ranji Trophy 2024: Mohit Avasthi takes 7/52 as Mumbai crush Bengal

Mohit Avasthi ran through the Bengal batting lineup, grabbing seven wickets for 52 runs as Mumbai stormed to an innings and four-run win with a bonus point in their Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Sunday. Avasthi finished with a 10-wicket haul in the match, having taken 3/63 in Bengal's first innings, as the hosts were bowled out for 209 in their second innings after being asked to follow-on. A collective batting effort in the first innings had given Mumbai a formidable 412 at the start of the game, which allowed them to dominate Bengal. The hosts, despite a valiant 109 from Anustup Majumdar, had folded up for 199, giving Mumbai a first-innings lead of 213 runs, following which they enforced the follow-on. The 31-year-old right-arm pacer Avasthi not only recorded his third five-for in the five Ranji matches so far this season, he also grabbed his third Player-of-the-Match award. At the Moin ul Haq Stadium in Patna, hosts Bihar were staring at a massive defeat at the hands of An

Vidhu Vinod Chopra's son Agni created FC record with passion for cricket

During the current Ranji season, a star son has been launched. But for 25-year-old Agni Dev Chopra, he never had the luxury of a re-take that his film-maker father Vidhu Vinod Chopra has had throughout his illustrious career. He will always have one ball with his name written on it, but for now, the world is ready to "judge" a privileged kid, who is also "passionate about cricket". For Agni Dev though, it has been about making a statement on the 22 yards and five first-class hundreds for Mizoram in the Ranji Trophy at least make it very clear that he is more than a decent cricketer with a potential to get better. Even though the runs came in Plate Group, comprising mainly northeastern states, a tally of 767 runs from four games, with scores like 166 and 92, 164, 114, 105 and 101, is as good as it gets. Agni Dev could have taken the more glamorous route and enter Tinsel Town, but he did not. "So I have been asked this question from childhood that will you go into movies but I never

Liquor seized from Saurashtra cricketers headed to Gujarat from Chandigarh

The incident occurred after the Saurashtra team travelled to Chandigarh for their Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy, U-23 Multi-Day Tournament match against Chandigarh

Ranji Trophy: Leading batter Badoni asked to stay in hotel vs Uttarakhand

Delhi's Ranji Trophy campaign hit a new low on Friday after team's best batter Ayush Badoni, who is going through a rough patch, was asked to stay back in team hotel at the behest of powerful officials, who wanted to teach the "IPL star" a lesson. Keeping Badoni out of 15 didn't make much of a difference to Delhi's inept batting as Uttarakhand's medium pace bowlers shot them out for 147 in a Ranji Trophy group D match in Mohali. In five completed innings so far this season, Delhi batters have failed to cross 200 on three occasions and highest individual score is Vaibhaav Kandpal's 49 in last game. On the day, it was Yash Dhull's 47 and at stumps, Uttarakhand were 98 for four with Navdeep Saini getting three wickets. However more than mere statistic, Badoni, who scored 41 in the last game and is perhaps the only player in current Delhi stable who is rated highly on national circuit, had to be put on chopping block to accommodate Kshitiz Sharma, who is believed to be close to a forme

Hyderabad's Tanmay creates world record for fastest first class triple ton

Hyderabad opener Tanmay Agarwal broke the world record for the fastest triple-hundred in the history of first-class cricket in a Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh here on Friday. The 28-year-old reached the milestone off only 147 balls, beating the previous record of South African cricketer Marco Marais, who had achieved in 191 balls during the game between Border and Western Province. However, the lopsided contest against a north-eastern side once again raised questions about directly integrating them into Ranji Trophy where records are being broken at monotonic regularity. The match, which was played on the outskirts of the city at 'Gen-Next' cricket ground and Hyderabad, witnessed a whopping 529 for 1 in just 48 overs with Tanmay's undefeated 323 off just 160 balls at the end of the day's play. This was after Arunachal scored 172 in 39.1 overs. The left-hander's innings was studded with 33 fours and 21 sixes. He added 449 for the opening stand with Rahul

Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Haryana humble defending champions Saurashtra

Haryana humbled defending champions Saurashtra in their own backyard by four wickets in a low-scoring Ranji Trophy game here on Sunday. Resuming day three at 148 for six, Saurashtra stretched their second innings to 220 all out with the help of skipper Jaydev Unadkat (23) and Parth Bhut (47), setting a 166-run target for Haryana. Haryana did experience some anxious moments before getting home in the final session, having lost three quick wickets. Ashok Menaria (58 not out) anchored the chase with Rahul Tewatia (10 not out) staying with him at the other end. Saurashtra let the game slip away from them on the opening day when they were bundled out for 145 with Jayant Yadav taking a five-wicket haul. Haryana had made 200 in their first innings with Saurashtra doing well to dismiss the opposition after the visitors made a strong start. The game was dominated by spinners including Jayant and Nishant Sindhu from Haryana. From the hosts' side, veteran Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Parth Bhut an

Ranji Trophy: Shami's brother Kaif overshadows Bhuvneshwar's great showing

Having bowled a magical spell of 4/14, Mohammed Kaif stepped up with the bat at No. 9 with an unbeaten 45 to help Bengal take the first-innings lead of 128 runs against hosts Uttar Pradesh on day two of their Ranji Trophy Group B match here on Saturday. Resuming at 95/5, Bengal folded up for 188 under challenging conditions at the Green Park, with veteran India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning excellent figures of 8/41. Uttar Pradesh, who were dismissed for 60 in the first innings, responded with resilience in the second essay to be 46 for no loss at close on day two. Samarth Singh and Aryan Juyal remained unbeaten at 21 and 20, respectively as UP trailed by 82 runs. Day 3 promises an intriguing contest as the home side will look to overcome the deficit and assert dominance, while Bengal bowlers will be desperate to seize the early initiative. Earlier on Saturday morning, Bengal lost three wickets for 15 runs. But Kaif showed the way, emerging as the top-scorer with 45 not out o

Ranji Trophy 2023-24: Bhuvneshwar's fifer on comeback blows away Bengal

Veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar blew away Bengal top-order in an incredible five-wicket haul in a dream Ranji Trophy comeback as Uttar Pradesh bounced back after being shot out for 60 on the opening day of their group B match here on Friday. Opting to bowl on a green-top pitch after a delayed start, Uttar Pradesh's first innings lasted just 20.5 overs in the opening session. India pacer Mohammed Shami's younger brother Mohammed Kaif was the star for Bengal, claiming 4/14 in his 5.5 overs. But what unfolded thereafter was a Bhuvi show as the injury-prone India seamer marked his first-class return by claiming 5/25 from 13 overs, that included three maiden overs. The 33-year-old, who last played in Tests in the South Africa tour in 2018, dismissed Sourav Paul (13) and Sudip Gharami (0) in the space of three balls. He then returned to take the wickets of Anustup Majumdar (12), captain Manoj Tiwary (3) and Abhishek Porel (12) in one spell en route to his 13th first-class fifer. With

Prasidh Krishna picks up injury during Ranji match; uncertainty looms

Pacer Prasidh Krishna on Friday picked up a left quadriceps injury during Karnataka's Ranji Trophy match against Gujarat, casting a cloud of uncertainty over his availability for selection for the upcoming assignments, including India's home Test series against England. India pacer Prasidh limped out of the field after bowling 14.5 overs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the Group C match. The paceman picked up the wickets of Manan Hingrajia and Siddharth Desai as Karnataka bundled out Gujarat for 264 runs in 88 overs on the first day. PTI understands while his MRI scans results are awaited, Prasidh is all set to miss the match against Gujarat. However, his availability for the five-match home Test series against England, staring later this month, is yet to be ascertained. But in general, quadriceps injury takes at least four to six weeks to heal as per its intensity. The 27-year-old is currently under the care of Karnataka team physio, but as a BCCI contracted pla

Shreyas Iyer added to Mumbai squad for Ranji Trophy game against Andhra

India batter Shreyas Iyer was on Tuesday added to the Mumbai squad for their next Ranji Trophy game against Andhra to be played here from January 12-15. Having struggled with the bat largely during India's two-match Test series in South Africa in challenging conditions, the right-handed batter would be looking to regain form and bolster preparations for the Tests against England beginning January 25. Iyer has replaced middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan, who will join the India A team for the series against England A in Ahmedabad. However, Mumbai will be without the services of all-rounder Shivam Dube who has been summoned to the national team for the upcoming three-match series starting against Afghanistan beginning on January 11. The 41-time winners in the Ranji Trophy, Mumbai, are coming off an outright win against Bihar in Patna. Mumbai bagged seven points after they crushed Bihar by a margin of an innings and 51 runs with their fast bowlers ruling the roost. Mumbai squad: Ajin

Ranji Trophy: Yash Dhull removed as Delhi captain after Puducherry loss

Yash Dhull was on Monday removed as Delhi captain, hours after the team suffered a heavy defeat against Puducherry in their Ranji Trophy opening match. Senior batter Himmat Singh will now lead the side that takes on Jammu and Kashmir in an away game from January 12. In an attempt to revive Delhi's flagging fortunes, U-19 World Cup-winning captain Dhull was made the skipper of the side in December 2022. Since making his debut in February 2022, Dhull has made 1185 runs at an average of 43.88. Dhull made two and 23 in the nine-wicket loss to Puducherry at home. The 21-year-old had also led the side in the white-ball tournaments earlier in the season. "Yash is a talented player but is out of form. We wanted him to do well as a batter, that is why we have relieved him of captaincy duties. Himmat is our senior player and has done very well for us. He will captain the side," DDCA joint secretary Rajan Manchanda told PTI. Dhull has struggled against fast bowlers, of late and was reluctan

Riyan Parag hits 2nd-fastest century in Ranji Trophy. Check who tops list

Riyan Parag hit the second-fastest century in Ranji Trophy history as he smashed 155 off 86 balls, reaching his hundred in just 56 balls against Chahhtisgarh

Pujara knocks on the doors of Indian team for England Tests with double ton

Cheteshwar Pujara hit his 17th First-Class double century, the most by any Indian batter. With his knock of 243* against Jharkhand in Ranji Trophy, veteran batter knocked on the doors of Indian team