Ranji Trophy, Super league, 2007-08 [Ranji SS available]

[Mr. Wicket]

Outstanding stuff from Abhishek Nayar. This is his third century this season (Karachi Urban, ROI and now Tamil Nadu), and all have come at a fine pace. The Klusener comparisons Kumble made don't seem like that big a stretch when his batting's concerned.

[Cricketics]

Sharmaji Takes 4.. nice:yay: Delhi getz small lead, juzt like they got in last game.. now batting 25-0

[kabira]

look who is leading ??

[Cricketics]

THERE IS no price for this kabira:haha: jk

[Chandan]

I'd like to elaborate the report of ROUND TWO, DAY 2: Himachal Pradesh 117 for 4 (Mannu 16*, Bisla 11*) trail Karnataka 452 for 9 dec (Naidu 105) by 335 runs Anil Kumble brought himself on early and picked up a wicket as Himachal Pradesh trailed by 335 runs on day two © Getty Images Karnataka rode on Thilak Naidu's stroke-filled century to pile up a first-innings total of 452 before taking four quick wickets to gain control of the game against Himachal Pradesh. Naidu added 98 runs in 112 balls to his overnight seven, a typical innings with fours to square and lofted shots down the ground. He had just one moment of concern when, on 95, he charged at a delivery from the left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia that landed well outside leg stump. The ball spun between his legs as he tried to pad it away but the stumping chance was missed. He began the day with his favourite shot, a square drive - which he would repeat to bring up his fifty and his hundred - before unfurling a cover drive against the seamers to set the tone for the day. He then hit Bhatia to the straight boundary, and drove him inside-out through cover before cutting one past backward point. Yere Goud, who made a painstaking 23, chipped a Bhatia delivery to midwicket but Naidu's response, on a flat track, was to shift up a gear. Changes were brought on in the bowling, but no one could keep him in check. Ashok Thakur , the left-arm seamer who got the ball to straighten off a length and troubled Goud during a tight eight-over opening spell, was hit to the cover boundary, Vikramjeet Malik pulled to square and Bhatia lofted to the long-on boundary. Naidu reserved his fiercest assault for Sarandeep Singh, the former India offspinner. He swept the first ball to the boundary and decided that was the way to go, repeatedly shuffling across, getting outside the line and sweeping forcefully with the turn. As Sarandeep pushed one further outside off, Naidu suddenly charged down the track to heave it over long-off. Sarandeep conceded 21 runs in two overs and was not seen again. Bhatia was pressed back into the attack and struck to a restricting line - bowling well outside leg stump from over the wickets - to pick up some cheap wickets as the batsmen tried to increase the rate. B Akhil, who shared a 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Naidu, failed to keep down a drive and Sunil Joshi heaved one to deep midwicket before Naidu himself fell. After slog-sweeping a boundary, he moved outside leg stump but was cramped by a Bhatia delivery that pitched way outside leg. He tried to pad it away but the ball hit his back pad before rolling on to the stumps. Bhatia continued with his outside-leg line even to the tailenders as HP tried desperately to keep the runs in check. By the time the declaration came, with 40 overs of play left in the day, Naidu had put his side in a near-impregnable position and given his bowlers the license to go for the kill. As it happens with a better bowling attack, the wicket suddenly started to look difficult to bat on. Joshi got it to turn and bounce, Anil Kumble found zip off the track and the seamers found some late movement. The Himachal openers had started off positively, adding 47 runs, when NC Aiyappa struck at the stroke of tea, luring the in-form Sandeep Sharma to edge to slip. Kumble, who brought himself on as early as the eighth over, forced Sangram Singh to jab to slip and, in the next over, Vinay Kumar trapped Paras Dogra for 3 before Joshi had opener Manish Gupta caught behind with a ripper. As the shadows lengthened, fielders crowded the bat but Maninder Bisla and Ajay Mannu survived several shouts for leg before against Kumble to hang on till the close of play. Himachal know it will only get more claustrophobic tomorrow. Mumbai vs TamilNadu Nayar hands advantage to Mumbai His 85-ball 105 gives the visitor first innings lead — Photo: V. Ganesan BLAZING AWAY: Mumbai’s Abhishek Nayar who scored a century, sent the Tamil Nadu bowlers on a leather hunt on Friday. CHENNAI: Abhishek Nayar blitzed an 85-ball 105, containing 13 fours and two sixes, to hand Mumbai the advantage on the second day of the second-round Ranji Trophy Super league cricket match against Tamil Nadu here at the ICL-Guru Nanak ground on Friday. Nayar’s maiden Ranji century, his third in four First Class matches, helped Mumbai score 317 and gain a first-innings lead of 111. Ramesh Powar then had opener M. Vijay adjudged caught behind for two to further strengthen the defending champion’s position. Tamil Nadu reached 30 for one — Dinesh Karthik contributing a bristling 28 — as Friday’s play ended. With 21 wickets falling in two days, the match appears set for a decisive result. Brutal stroke-play The left-handed Nayar’s innings featured brutal stroke-play emanating from a peculiar wide-based stance. Remarkably, the knock was both entertaining and contextually significant. With Mumbai on 155 for five when Ajit Agarkar joined Nayar, the match was in the balance. Tamil Nadu was in with a shot of shaving Mumbai’s lead — perhaps even opening a lead of its own. But, Nayar’s menacing intent never let up; he also had his moments of fortune. All bowlers came alike to the strongly built 24-year-old: Amarnath was flipped to square-leg and hoisted over cover; Ramkumar was cut, swept and bludgeoned straight; Naresh was pulled with blinding bat-speed; Ashwin was deposited in the shamiana tent behind the rope at wide long-on, scattering the pressmen. Nayar, in Agarkar’s presence, took Mumbai to 227 for five before Amarnath and Ramkumar struck in quick succession. But, Nayar found another ally in Vinayak Samant, the busy wicketkeeper-batsman. The pair had added 74 in 87 balls, powering Mumbai past 300, when Ashwin had Nayar caught off a miscue. Wasim Jaffer and Amol Muzumdar had earlier put on 61 for the third wicket — a partnership of languid ball striking from Jaffer and quicksilver footwork from Muzumdar. Jaffer made Tamil Nadu pay for dropping him in the first over of the day (Badrinath at second slip, the guilty party; Yomahesh, the unlucky bowler) when he was on three. He was eventually dismissed 47 runs later, caught at mid-on off Ramkumar. The tall left-arm spinner also had Muzumdar, stretching forward without offering a shot, leg-before for 43. Ramkumar added the scalps of Powar and Iqbal Abdulla to finish with four for 88 off 23 overs. Punjab vs Hyderabad Punjab scores 216 for three — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash CENTURY MAKER: Thilak Naidu carried on the good work of Rahul Dravid, as Karnataka took control against Himachal. MOHALI: Host Punjab was 216 for three, replying to Hyderabad’s 379 on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match on Friday. Opener Karan Goel made 75, while skipper Pankaj Dharmani was unbeaten on 52. Earlier, left-arm spinner Ankur Thakkar took four wickets for the host. In Vadodara, Baroda fought against Bengal on Friday. Yusuf Pathan claimed five for 83 as Bengal, resuming at 262 for two, was dismissed for 370. Baroda, with R.K. Solanki unbeaten on 43, was 129 for three at stumps. In Bangalore, wicketkeeper- batsman Thilak Naidu’s 137-ball 105 enabled Karnataka declare at 452 for nine against Himachal Pradesh. For the visitor, left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia finished with six for 129. At stumps, Himachal was struggling at 117 for four. Ravikant Shukla remained unbeaten on 99 (150b, 14x4, 1x6) in Uttar Pradesh’s 298 at Anantapur. Paceman P. Vijay Kumar scalped four. With L.N. Prasad Reddy batting on 88 (223b, 10x4), Andhra was 201 for two at close of the day’s play. ASK Verma scored 61. Saurashtra vs Delhi Saurashtra defies Delhi attack Defensive tactics robs the game of excitement — Photo: V.V. Krishnan SLOW GOING: Sitanshu Kotak scored most of the runs behind the wicket at the the Roshnara Club. FOR EVERY next big thing the Ranji Trophy throws up, it still remains as the ultimate frontier for most. It is both a breeding ground and an ultimate goal, a finishing school and the finish line. Two players, on either side of this divide were on show at the Roshanara ground -Delhi's Ishant Sharma and Saurashtra's Sitanshu Kotak. And they had contrasting days. Ishant had to sweat it out for his two wickets, while Kotak held the Saurashtra innings together with a patient 77. At stumps on Day Two, the visitors were 175/7, still 69 runs behind Delhi. The day started with a lot of promise and, in truth, even ended with that promise. But between the two ends it was Kotak and Pratik Mehta (27) who took over. The duo came together at 83/4, and put their heads down to add 73 runs in almost two sessions. It was risk-free batting at its best. No attempted drives, no quick singles, nothing. Kotak and Mehta just made sure they played only those deliveries they had to. 244 was not the ideal score Delhi would have liked to post, and it looked even smaller when the two were batting. Skipper Mithun Manhas shuffled his bowlers around, but though none of them was taken for runs, they weren't being able to get the breakthrough either Though at snail's pace, Saurashtra were chipping away at Delhi's lead. Finally, after 309 minutes, Kotak's resistance was broken. Rajat Bhatia, Delhi's best bowler by a long way, got Kotak to play a rash shot. It was probably the first time he flashed at a ball, only to end up slicing the ball to Shikhar Dhawan at gully Kotak gone, the onus was now on Mehta to stay put in the middle and protect the lower-order. But that didn't happen. Bhatia, who finished with amazing figures of 3/9 in his 13 overs, had Mehta caught behind. From 156/4, Saurashtra had slipped to 156/ 6 within a matter of minutes. Delhi moved in for the kill, and dismissed Ravinder Jadeja for 1 to put the tourists in deeper trouble. With just the bowlers to follow, and 69 to get in order to gain a first innings lead, the task looks like a tough one for Saurashtra. Delhi, on the other hand, need to scalp the three remaining wickets early on Saturday and then look to build on a lead. Day Two witnessed a seesaw battle at the Roshanara. Everytime Saurashtra looked like they were well placed to gain a first innings lead, Delhi hit back with wickets. It's advantage Delhi as the game move into the last two days, though Saurashtra have shown they have the ability to surprise. Andhra vs UP Prasad Reddy, Varma shine ANANTAPUR: A brilliant 124-run partnership between opener L.N. Prasad Reddy (88 batting, 223b, 10x4) and A.S.K. Varma (61, 8x4, 1x6) put Andhra in a commanding position as it finished the second day at 201 for two in the super league Ranji Trophy cricket match against Uttar Pradesh at the Anantapur Sports Village ground here on Friday. Earlier, U.P., resuming at 269 for eight, was all out for 298 in 97.5 overs. On a day, when the U.P. bowlers were all at sea, local player, Prasad Reddy, continued his dream run (he scored an unbeaten 116 against Punjab in the second innings in Andhra’s last match) by compiling a stroke-filled 88. In the process, he also crossed 2,000 runs in First Class cricket. Watekar falls U.P. got the first breakthrough in the pre-lunch session when the in-form Hemal Watekar failed to negotiate a raising delivery from medium-pacer Sudeep Tyagi and was caught behind. What followed was a fine exhibition of batting as the diminutive Prasad Reddy found a determined partner in Varma. The entire post-lunch session belonged to both the players as they made the U.P. attack look ordinary. Curbing their extravagant stroke-play, both Prasad and Varma punished anything that was bowled either short or around the legs. The bowler to suffer the most was leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. On a wicket which offered no help to spinners, Prasad and Varma seldom hesitated to come down the wicket. However, in the first over after tea, Varma failed to time his pull effectively off Abid Khan and spooned a catch to Ratnesh Misha at mid-wicket. Skipper MS.K. Prasad joined Prasad Reddy and the pair has so far added 51 runs for the third wicket. Earlier, Andhra’s off-spinner G. Shankar Rao struck a double blow in the eighth over of the day as he trapped both Khan and Tyagi in front, thus leaving Ravikant Shukla stranded at 99. ----------------------------------- No detailed news about Bengal Baroda tie or Maharashtra- Rajasthan tie!

[The Outsider]

Have him in my Superselector. What a visionary I am!

[apocalypse]

Have him in my Superselector. What a visionary I am!

make that two visionaries :D

[apocalypse]

Powar leads Mumbai to convincing win November 17, 2007 Mumbai 317 and 104 for 2 (Naik 57*) beat Tamil Nadu 206 and 214 (Ashwin 51, Powar 5-68, Salvi 3-27) by 8 wickets Scorecard It took all of three days for Mumbai, led by Ramesh Powar's second five-wicket haul in as many matches, to seal their first win of the Ranji Trophy this season by beating Tamil Nadu by eight wickets at the Gurunanak College Ground in Chennai. After a steady fall of wickets in the morning, R Ashwin's fighting half-century and a composed 47 by K Vasudevadas kept Mumbai at bay, but the home side's inability to string together sufficient partnerships ultimately led to their undoing, leaving Mumbai just 104 to win with an entire session to score the runs. Aavishkar Salvi and Ajit Agarkar, lent support to Powar and scuttled out Tamil Nadu for 214 by just sticking to the basics of line and length. Some alert fielding within the circle also contributed to the home side's downfall. The slide began off the second ball of the day when Agarkar got one to swerve in with the angle and take Dinesh Karthik's middle stump. Agarkar charged in with intent, exerted himself and looked a different bowler from the first innings, firing in the occasional yorker. With the luxury of time at hand to play themselves in, nightwatchman Vijay Kumar Yomahesh and captain S Badrinath put their heads down and strung together a stand of 45. Yomahesh was solid in defence and that allowed Badrinath to play with more freedom at the other end. He made his intentions clear with a big six off Powar, over the sight screen, and also took Salvi to task with an imperious hook, followed by a flick past midwicket. However, Tamil Nadu's hard work was undone by Powar yet again as he plugged away with the wickets of Yomahesh and R Prasanna without the addition of a run. Yomahesh edged one on to his stumps, failing to cover the turn, while Prasanna padded up in front of the stumps. It was déjà vu for Badrinath as he edged one on to his stumps, identical to his first-innings dismissal, this time off Salvi, leaving half the side back in the pavilion with another 16 required to make Mumbai bat again. R Srinivasan was beaten for swing and had his off stumped shaved by Salvi, who looked in good rhythm, coming back after a back injury. Ashwin and Vasudevadas then crafted Tamil Nadu's most impressive passage of play in the entire match. With the low bounce continuing to test the concentration of the batsmen, both made it a point to get behind the line and rotate the strike without getting bogged down. The positive vibes lifted the spirits of the Tamil Nadu camp, as Vasudevadas drove Agarkar past point, and swept Powar to the square-leg boundary As he gained in confidence, he used his feet to the left-arm spin of Iqbal Abdulla and fetched a straight six. Ashwin, regarded as a promising allrounder, was at ease against pace and spin, getting to the pitch of the ball and getting the placement right on many occasions. The pair added 50 in 120 balls, wiped off the deficit and Ashwin brought up his own half-century with a flashy cut past point. However, Vasudevadas' error in judgement, shouldering arms to one that came straight through from Salvi, broke the partnership and an excellent piece of fielding by the same bowler - effecting a direct hit from the region of square leg - sent Ashwin packing. Powar wrapped up the tail and Tamil Nadu's total of 214 was a disappointment. Mumbai, led by Prashant Naik's scintillating unbeaten 57, raced to the target with little fuss. The spinners, Ashwin and R Ramkumar were in for a pounding as he launched Ashwin for three identical sixes over deep midwicket. He ended the match with a flourish, launching Ramkumar for three consecutive sixes, finishing on an unbeaten 57.

[apocalypse]

Karnataka win by an innings and 126 runs November 17, 2007 Karnataka 452 for 9 dec beat Himachal Pradesh 179 (Bisla 42*, Vinay Kumar 3-26) and 147 (Vinay Kumar 3-32, Kumble 3-41) by an innings and 126 runs Scorecard An all-round bowling effort from Karnataka got them 16 Himachal Pradesh wickets in a day to secure a comprehensive innings win, 28 minutes before stumps on day three. Vinay Kumar provided them the impetus, NC Aiyappa and B Akhil the required support, while Anil Kumble and Sunil Joshi attacked relentlessly once the ball got old. Vinay and Kumble finished with six wickets each in the match. The bowling show was set up by a dominating batting performance, with centuries from Rahul Dravid - his second in succession - and Thilak Naidu. The Himachal batsmen could never really get rid of the crowd around them, as the Karnataka bowlers always kept the slips, the silly points and the short legs busy through the day. The other fielders, who didn't get a chance to do anything spectacular, were largely impressive and safe. Vinay provided Karnataka with breakthroughs both at the start of the day and the start of Himachal's second innings. With Himachal resuming the day at 117 for 4, Vinay struck in his second and third overs to send them down the follow-on path. By the time Anil Kumble and Sunil Joshi had wrapped up the tail and enforced the follow-on, the wicket had become quite difficult to bat on. With the new ball in the second innings, it seemed nearly every over Karnataka bowled one shooter and one that bounced abruptly. The Himachal batsmen, though, contributed to the fall and the inexperience of batting in the big league showed. The attack from Karnataka was relentless and the batsmen wilted easily. Sandeep Singh, their main batsman last season, started the cave-in as he tickled one wide down the leg side from Vinay. Sangram Singh got a vicious shooter from the same bowler and Karnataka, once again, were on their way. Manish Gupta hooked tamely and Ajay Mannu drove at a wide one only to edge it. Within 20 overs Himachal had lost five wickets. When it looked like the game would get over before tea on day three, Maninder Bisla and Mukesh Kumar hung in. They had good fortune early on when Bisla survived a close lbw shout off an offcutter from Akhil and Yere Goud misjudged an easy chance off Mukesh at deep fine leg. But after that, the two batted sensibly for 22.3 overs to add 61 runs. Although that did not threaten the result, they had created an outside chance of denying Karnataka the bonus point that comes with an innings win. Sunil Joshi, though, broke the resistance when he trapped Mukesh plumb in front. Bisla, who has survived many lbw shouts over the last two days, finally seemed to have got a rough one as he came back aghast at a bat-pad decision off Kumble. That was the first time Bisla got out in this match as he had hung on till the end in the first innings with a valiant 43. He scored 32 in the second innings to end as top scorer in both innings. In the first innings, Bisla had Sarandeep Singh for company as they stuck around for 64 minutes to add 39 for the eighth wicket. But it was always going to be too little with an otherwise spineless batting performance around Bisla. For Anil Kumble the captain, most of the moves he made, paid off handsomely. Bowling changes tended to result in a wicket in the new bowler's first over, and fielders had the ball come right to them every time they were moved. In the second innings, Akhil got a wicket with his fifth ball when he was brought on in the 15th over. Vinay, back for his second spell, got one with his third delivery. Bowling to Ashok Thakur in the first innings, Kumble called Vinay to the gully and sure enough, the edge off the next ball went straight into the gully's lap. Two balls earlier, Kumble had done in former spin partner Sarandeep Singh with one that turned and bounce and Dravid added another to c Dravid b Kumble dismissals. With six points in this match, Karnataka seem to have made up for a slow start they had against Mumbai. For almost two days in the first match against Saurashtra, Himachal seemed to fit in with the big boys, only to collapse later and look like they were out of their league. But Karanataka were at the top of their game and had the best of the conditions; there surely will be better days for Himachal.

[apocalypse]

Maharashtra 287 and 123 for 2 (Rao 45*) beat Rajasthan 105 and 303 (Saxena 99, Khoda 60, Bahutule 4-96) by eight wickets Scorecard Even though Rajasthan put up 303 runs in their second innings, Maharashtra chased down the required 122 runs easily. Maharashtra had earlier dismissed Rajasthan for 105 in the first innings and gained a crucial 182-run first-innings lead. Vinit Saxena, resuming on 34*, led the battle for Rajasthan, but was trapped in front of the stumps on 99 by Sairaj Bahutule. Veteran Gagan Khoda, who had retired hurt on 34 on Friday, resumed to score 26 more, but the lower-order batsmen were unable to stay with Saxena, who was the last man out. Maharashtra lost two wickets, but never looked in trouble as captain Venugopal Rao and Kedar Jadhav steered them to victory. They would perhaps rue not gaining the bonus point, which they could have got had they attained the target without losing a second-innings wicket. Bengal 370 and 1 for 1 (Pathan 1-0) trail Baroda 515 (Solanki 186, Yusuf 183) by 144 runs Scorecard Big hundreds from Rakesh Solanki and Yusuf Pathan gave Baroda a first-innings lead of 145 against Bengal on day three in Vadodara. Solanki, resuming the day on 43, added another 143 runs and was the last to be dismissed, when was run out by Anustup Majumdar. But his innings, scored at a healthy pace of 55.52 per 100 balls, looked a crawl in comparison with Yusuf Pathan's 183 off 150 balls. This was Pathan's maiden first-class century. Saurasish Lahiri took three wickets today and finished with 4 for 184 for the innings. To make matters worse for Bengal, Pathan struck just before stumps to dismiss the first-innings centurion Anustup Majumdar. Delhi 244 and 295 for 2 (Chopra 124*, Dhawan 114) lead Saurashtra 213 (Kotak 77, Bhatia 4-16) by 144 runs Scorecard After Delhi bowled out Saurashtra for 213 - a lead of 31 runs, centuries from openers Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan took them to a commanding position from where they can push for an outright result. Earlier Saurashtra had looked good to secure a first-innings lead when Shitanshu Kotak had taken them to 156 for 4. But after Kotak, 77, fell at the same score, the rest of the batting folded. Rajat Bhatia and Ishant Sharma took four wickets each for Delhi. Bhatia pulled the choke on Saurashtra as he bowled 17 overs for just 16 runs. Dhawan and Chopra then added 199 before Dhawan was caught behind off Rakesh Dhurv for 114. At stumps, Chopra was batting at 124, along with Virat Kohli, 40. Hyderabad 379 and 85 for 2 (Ravi Teja 61*) lead Punjab 356 (Goel 75, Ojha 3-127) by 108 runs Scorecard Punjab lost their last four wickets for 18 runs to fall behind Hyderabad by 23 runs in the first innings. Half-centuries from Karan Goel and Pankaj Dharmani had brought Punjab close, but the run-out of Ankur Kakkar (45) triggered the collapse. Pragyan Ojha bowled 47 overs for 127 runs and ended up with three wickets for his troubles. Punjab will rue that none of their six batsmen, who had got good starts, converted them into a big score. In the second innings, Ravi teja, the Hyderabad opener, started aggressively and ended the day unbeaten on 61 off 89 balls. Uttar Pradesh 298 and 105 for 2 lead Andhra 326 (Reddy 132, Varma 61, Tyagi 6-95) by 77 runs Scorecard LNP Reddy's century and ASK Varma's half-century took Andhra to a first-innings lead of 28 against UP, despite Sudeep Tyagi's six-wicket haul. Reddy and Varma added 124 runs for the second wicket as they threatened to run away with the game. But Tyagi struck with four quick wickets to reduce them to 279 for 7. The Andhra tail, though, hung on to eke out the vital first-innings lead; D Kalyankrishna scored 21 crucial runs. This was Tyagi's second six-wicket haul ion as many first-class matches.

[Cricketics]

Aakash chopra and Shikhar Dhawan have set the game for Delhi now.. bowlers need to win this one.. come on Ishant..

[Dravid]

3 :d

[theguyinallblue]

4 :d

[Cricketics]

Aakash chopra was unbeated on 124 and Kohli was not out on 40 when Delhi Declared and Saurashtra in trouble.. 5 down for 64 omg.. nice.. i like it Sangawan has 4

[Chandan]

So three outright results were gained yesterday: 1. Karnataka crushed HP 2. Maharastra beat Rajasthan 3.Mumbai defeated Tamil Nadu. A bit detailed news about others: Andhra takes lead vs UP ANANTAPUR: Andhra achieved its primary objective in the contest against Uttar Pradesh in the Super league Ranji Trophy cricket match by clinching a 28-run first innings lead on the penultimate day at the Anantapur Sports Village grounds here on Saturday. At close of play, U.P. was 105 for two in the second innings. Earlier, Andhra’s innings ended at 326. Andhra opener L.N. Prasad Reddy’s scintillating 132 (319b, 449m, 16x4) and the six-wicket haul by the gangling lad from Ghaziabad, Sudeep Tyagi, were the highlights of the day. Incidentally, Tyagi drew the attention by his impressive 10-wicket haul against Orissa on his debut. Tyagi had M.S.K. Prasad trapped in front and later lured Y. Gnaneswara Rao to unleash an uppish stroke. The quick dismissals brought U.P. back into the game and the exit of the well-set Prasad Reddy forced Kaif to change the game plan by bringing the fielders into the circle. Prasad Reddy, who was a picture of concentration, reached the three-figure mark, his fifth in his First Class career, with a rasping cover drive in Tyagi’s 25th over. With seven wickets down for 279, Andhra was in a spot of bother with 20 runs needed to overhaul U.P.’s total. However, Kalyan and M. Suresh threw caution to the winds with some lusty and miscued hits to help Andhra overcome the crisis. Andhra’s Kalyan Krishna and G. Shankar Rao gave their team a flying start in the second innings by dismissing the U.P. openers R. Prakash and S. Shukla respectively. Hyderabad takes lead vs Punjab — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash CASTLED: Himachal Pradesh’s Sangram Singh bowled by Karnataka’s Vinay Kumar in the second innings. MOHALI: Hyderabad snatched a slender 23-run first innings lead over Punjab on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match here. At stumps, Hyderabad stretched the lead to 108 after scoring 85 for two with Ravi Teja going strong with an unbeaten 61. Chopra, Dhawan score centuries vs Saurashtra Photo: Sadeep Saxena FINE KNOCK: Delhi’s Aakash Chopra came up with an unbeaten century against Saurashtra. NEW DELHI: Aakash Chopra and Shikhar Dhawan produced their first century opening partnership in many matches as Delhi dominated Saurashtra on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Elite league cricket match at the Roshanara ground here on Saturday. Chopra remained unbeaten on 124 and Dhawan hit 114 as Delhi finished with an overall lead of 326 runs. Saurashtra, 175 for seven overnight, was all out for 213. Delhi should declare at its overnight total on Saturday and look to score its second consecutive victory. The pitch had eased out when Chopra and Dhawan launched their assault. Vintage strokes They applied themselves very well with Chopra, displaying a refreshingly attacking approach, playing some vintage strokes. He had gained his place in the Delhi squad 10 seasons ago as a strokeplayer and he relived those moments on Saturday with a flurry of shots. Delhi had planned to score briskly to push for a victory and the aim was to get five an over. Chopra and Dhawan ensured the team got a flying start by attacking from the word go and Saurashtra succumbed to the pressure applied by the batsmen. “It was enjoyable,†Chopra confessed. “The track had eased out, but I was happy with the manner in which I hit the ball. It was fun really because I could pace my innings as the team wanted me to. There were a lot of positives. I could bat aggressively even though I thought it was normal batting,†he said. Chopra hit 16 fours in his 211-ball essay, while the left-handed Dhawan, showing exemplary discipline and determination, batted 139 balls and hit 17 fours and a six.

[Cricketics]

Chandan just few dayz ago u were were talking about useless aakash chopra, its not worth taking him in the team.. i guess u would be really happy as he scored century now and got all of us some good points..:cantstop: i remember that i quoted that post of urz saying, he would score soong a ton or something.. it happend this time..

[Chandan]

Yes. I kept faith in him and he paid me back. Same with Kaif too, though Raina,Badri and Tiwary had a horrible match. And I included Gagandeep after losing 50 points for substituion and he didn't play the match!!!:sad_smile:

[Chandan]

Another outright result in this round: Y Pathan takes 5 wickets in second innings too to bundle Bengal out for just 86 runs in the second innings, to help Baroda win by an inning and 59 runs!! Manoj Tiwary, Bose and SS Paul had a terrible match which they'd like to forget before the third round!

[Chandan]

ROUND TWO, DAY 4: Bengal 370 and 86 (Pathan 5-36, Pawar 4-23) lost to Baroda 515 (Solanki 186, Yusuf 183) by an innings and 59 runs Scorecard After his super quick 186 on the third day, Yusuf Pathan teamed up with left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar to run through the Bengal second innings to take Baroda to an innings win in their first match of the season. The two spinners had taken the new ball on the third day and Pathan had struck in his first over itself. On the fourth today, they continued in the same vein as they reduced Bengal to 13 for 5 in 13 overs. A sixth-wicket partnership of 36 runs between Wriddhiman Saha and Rana Chowdhary provided some resistance, but the spinners struck again to skittle Bengal out for 86. The spinners bowled accurately as the four lbw and two bowled dismissals show. Delhi 244 and 295 for 2 dec. drew with Saurashtra 213 and 254 for 9 (Pujara 148*, Sangwan 4-70) Scorecard OUTSTANDING EFFORT: Cheteshwar Pujara’s knock ensured a draw for Saurashtra. Cheteshwar Pujara got invaluable support from Sandeep Jobanutra and Sandip Maniar, the Nos. 10 and 11, as Saurashtra hung on for a miraculous draw against Delhi. After Delhi declared overnight, setting Saurashtra a target of 327 runs, Saurahstra lost their first eight wickets for 106 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara would remember the day he spent at the Roshanara ground. So would the Delhi team. In an innings that highlighted the 19-year-old’s stupendous self-belief, Pujara hit an unbeaten 148 and denied Delhi a victory in the Ranji Trophy Elite league match here on Sunday. In the end, just one wicket stood in Delhi’s way. Sangwan sizzles The youngsters stood out on the final day of a well-contested match. Left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan put Saurashtra on the backfoot with an incisive spell in the morning after Delhi declared at the overnight score of 295 for two. Sangwan scalped the first four Saurashtra batsmen as the visiting squad slumped to 60 for four. Kanaiya Vaghela, Sitanshu Kotak, Sagar Jogiyani and skipper Jaydav Shah, who earned a ‘pair,’ fell to Sangwan’s lethal spell. Saurashtra suffered further when Ishant Sharma packed off Pratik Mehta. At 63 for five, there was little hope for Saurashtra but Pujara was in no mood to give up. When Ravindra Jadeja and Kamlesh Makvana deserted Pujara at the score of 101, Delhi must have been confident of wrapping up the contest. The dismissal of Rakesh Dhruv also promised an early end but Pujara was not finished yet. That's when Jobanputra joined Pujara and they made Delhi wait for 157 minutes and 35.5 overs to get their next wicket. Jobanputra scored a patient 35 in a partnership of 119 and left Pujara and Maniar another 16.2 overs to negotiate. Maniar hung in for 5 off 32 balls as bad light made Saurashtra's task easier - play was called off with five overs to go. Pujara stayed unbeaten on 148 and was responsible for the one point that Saurashtra gained from the match. Growing in strength Delhi had 53 overs to snare the last two Saurashtra wickets but failed to do so. Pujara grew in strength, dominated the strike, and guided partners Sandeep Jobunputra and Sandip Maniar to leave Delhi frustrated. Such was Pujara’s application at the crease that even the opposition applauded his effort that lasted 244 balls and contained 27 fours. Pujara likes to graft and rarely indulges in any flamboyance. He was determined to defy the bowlers and produced a flawless innings that was rich in quality and temperament. His concentration never faltered and the bowlers failed to find his edge even once. Chipping in Jobanputra, having contributed handsomely with the ball on the first day, chipped in with the bat. His valuable knock of 35 came off 99 balls, while last man Maniar faced 32 balls before the light became too bad for the game to continue. Pujara emerged the hero of the contest for his priceless performance, while Delhi reflected on the chance lost to secure a second win in as many matches. Ravi Teja got to his century on the final day of the drawn game between Punjab and Hyderabad in Mohali © AFP Uttar Pradesh 298 and 297 for 6 dec. (Kaif 122*, Shankara Rao 4-72) drew with Andhra 326 and 213 for 4 (Reddy 103*, Varma 89) Scorecard LNP Reddy and ASK Varma punished the Uttar Pradesh bowlers for the second time in the match, but they did not get enough time to get the target of 270 runs in a minimum of 48 overs. After UP had fallen behind in the first innings, their captain Mohammad Kaif scored a brisk unbeaten century to give themselves another chance in the game. UP got off to a good start, as Sudeep Tyagi got Hemal Watekar in the first over. After that, however, Reddy and Varma took the attack to the bowlers and it was UP who were looking to hang on for a draw and not vice-versa. Reddy got his second century of the match with a boundary off the last ball of the day. Varma had to stay content with a second half-century as he got out for 89 in the penultimate over. Tyagi was on a hat-trick in the last over, but Gnaneshwara Rao first denied him and then took a single to get Reddy on the strike for the last ball. Hyderabad 379 and 276 (Ravi Teja 111, Ladda 4-30) drew with Punjab 356 and 75 for 4 (Yadav 3-32) Scorecard Hyderabad, after they secured a first-innings lead on the third day, chose to play safe as they set Punjab a target of 300 runs in 33 overs and even though Punjab lost four wickets the result was always going to be a draw. Ravi Teja followed up the 55 in the first innings with a century in the second; when he got out in the 53rd over, he had scored 111 out of Hyderabad's 160 then. Considering how quickly Punjab lost four wickets (in 28 overs), a competitive target set by Hyderabad would have made the end of the match interesting.

[Chandan]

POINTS TABLE Above is the points table after round two. Delhi and Mumbai are heading with 8 points each after two matches. While this is the best possible result Mumbai could get, their last match being with Karnataka and Dravid and Kumble both playing against them, Delhi lost a golden opportunity to top the table with 10 points. Their bowlers could not dismiss that last two batsmen in 50 overs!!!