Ranji Trophy 2010-11: Super League

[zen]

Go Baroda :two_thumbs_up:

[Clarke]

In 114 overs, the super crappy Haryana team tried 9 bowlers. Speaks a lot about their bowling attack. Hemang Badani seems to be the only batsman the opposition would respect.

[Sir john]

In 114 overs' date=' the super crappy Haryana team tried 9 bowlers. Speaks a lot about their bowling attack. Hemang Badani seems to be the only batsman the opposition would respect.[/quote'] you forget about him.

[Chandan]

Round up, Day Three A round-up of the third day's action of various Ranji Trophy Super League matches across the country. UP vs Orissa RP Singh wrecks Orissa India discard R P Singh (6/48) produced a superb seam bowling performance to reduce Orissa to 232 for nine in their first innings and put Uttar Pradesh in the drivers' seat on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match in Lucknow, on Friday. In reply to UP's first innings 403 all out, opener Natraj Behera (113) waged a lone battle for Orissa with a fighting century but his side is certain to follow on as they were trailing by 171 runs with only one first innings wicket in hand. Former India pacer Debasis Mohanty, who came out at number nine, was the highest scorer for Orissa after Behera and was batting on 30 in company of Dhiraj Singh (15) when stumps were drawn at Dr Akhilesh Das Stadium. UP would now look to quickly end the Orissa first innings on Saturday and press for a win by forcing a follow-on. But they are certain to gain three points at least by virtue of first innings lead. After UP were bowled out for 403, Orissa were immediately in trouble early in the morning as they were reduced to 15 for three inside the first hour. R P Singh claimed the wickets of opener Shiv Sunder Das (1) and Govind Podder (1) while Niranjan Behera fell for a duck to Shalabh Srivastava. Then Natraj Behera was involved in a 70-run stand with Biplab Samantray (20) for the fifth wicket before a 45-run partnership with Alok Chandra Sahoo (29) for the seventh wicket to take Orissa score past 200. Natraj Behera was finally out towards the close of day after facing 244 balls from which he hit 17 fours. Srivastava, Sudeep Tyagi and Praveen Gupta took a wicket each for UP while Piyush Chawla went wicketless in his 22 overs. Brief scores: Uttar Pradesh: 403 vs Orissa (O/n: 0/0): 232/9 in 91 overs (Natraj Behere 113, Ashok Chandra Sahoo 29, Debasis Mohanty 30; RP Singh 6-48). Punjab vs Karnataka Yuvraj hits fifty but Punjab still trail by 10 runs Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 52 helped Punjab score 173 for two in their second innings but the visitors are still trailing by 10 runs after the end of the third day's play in their Ranji trophy Super League Group B match against Karnataka in Mohali on Friday. Earlier Karnataka started the day with 346 for six wickets on board but were bundled out for 426 runs in their first innings in reply to Punjab's total of 243. The architects of Karnataka's big first innings score were Robin Uthappa, who scored a scintillating 149, MK Pandey (49) and CM Gautam (60). For hosts, the main wicket taker was M S Gony with three for 92 runs followed NTS Sidhu and Rajwinder Singh who scalped two wickets each. Keeping in mind Karnataka's first innings lead, Punjab started their second innings on a cautious note with openers adding 84 runs. But S Kanwar was soon removed by S Aravind. He scored 39 runs with seven hits to fence and a towering six. R Inder Singh chipped in with a useful knock of 52 runs before felling prey to A Mithun with the teams score reading 111. Yuvraj was unbeaten on 52 (78 balls) with eight hits to the fence. Giving him company was V Bhalla playing at an individual score of 22 off 86 balls. With the match heading for draw Karnataka hold the strong position due to the first innings lead. Brief scores: Punjab: 243, Karnataka 426, Punjab 173/2 Assam vs Railways Kartik's spin leaves Assam in a spell Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik grabbed five wickets to help Railways reduce Assam to 160 for nine and give his side a chance for victory in an absorbing Group A Ranji Trophy Super League match, on the penultimate day in New Delhi. Kartik (5/66) ran through the opposition top order and Assam were 67 for five at one stage before captain Amol Muzumdar played a defiant unbeaten knock of 73 that came off 222 balls. Left-arm spinner Prakash Bhagat, who made his first class debut, was giving Muzumdar company on one when stumps were drawn for the day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Kartik first ran out Assam opener Pravez Aziz (7) with the scoreboard reading 11 for one in the fifth over and then scalped two more wickets -- that of other opener Dheeraj Jadhav (6) and one-down Sridharan Sriram (8). At 31 for three, Assam were in trouble and though Muzumdar was holding one end together his colleagues failed to put up a fight. Jai Prakash Yadav then removed Deepak Sharma for six before Kartik came back again to dismiss Tarjinder Singh (8) as half of the Assam side were back at the pavilion for 67. From there, Assam never recovered as they could not form any substantive partnership, the biggest being the 33 for the sixth wicket between Muzumdar and Kunal Saikia (25). Assam have now taken an overall 165-run lead with just one second innings wicket in hand. Railways would fancy for a win by quickly breaking the last wicket pair of Assam on Saturday. If Railways fail to do so and the match ends in a draw, Assam will run away with three points on the basis of their five-run first innings lead. Earlier in the morning, Railways resumed their first innings at 164 for eight but their last two wickets fell quickly as they were all out for 182 to fall short of Assam's first innings total of 187. Kulamani Parida (4) was out in the third over of the morning to Dhiraj Goswami, who completed his five-wicket haul, before Ranjit Kumar Mali ended the resistance of tailender Jai Prakash Yadav (37). Brief scores: Assam: 187 and 160/9 in 81 overs (Amol Muzumdar 73 n.o., Kunal Saikia 25; Sanjay Bangar 2-38, Murali Kartik 5-66) vs Railways (O/n: 164/8): 182 all out in 83.1 overs (Tejinder Pal Singh 41, Jai P Yadav 37; Ranjitkumar Mali 3-36, Dhiraj Goswami 5-53). Delhi vs TamilNadu Delhi sitting pretty against TN Shikhar Dhawan struck an unbeaten 76 as Delhi scored 122 for two in their second innings at close against Tamil Nadu on the penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match in Chennai. Having already secured three vital points by virtue of their first innings lead of 110 runs after dismissing Tamil Nadu for 208 all out, Delhi were in the driver's seat when stumps were drawn. Dhawan, who anchored the Delhi innings, was batting on 76 (113b, 172m, 10X4) along with Manoj Chauhan who is yet to open his account. The visitors have taken an overall lead of 232 and would be eyeing an outright win on Saturday. Delhi opener Chetan Sharma (22) was in his elements in their second essay but was bowled to a low delivery from off spinner Ashwin. He added 46 runs with his opening partner Dhawan in 14.1 overs. Yogesh Nahar, sent ahead of Virat Kohli , was shaping well in company of Dhawan but made his exit offering an edge to S Badrinath in leg slip while trying to defend an Ashwin delivery. He made 23 with three hits to the fence and added 59 runs in 26.3 overs for the second wicket. Earlier, Tamil Nadu (overnight 122 for 5) could only add 86 before being bowled out. Badrinath (104; 6x4 2x6) saved the side from landing in a much worse situation scoring 59 runs before being bowled by pacer Pawan Suyal, who claimed three wickets by conceding 37 runs. Badrinath and other overnight batsman C Ganapathy were coasting to a sizeable stand but the latter was ran out by a direct hit from Manoj Chauhan from the mid-on region. Chauhan also dismissed R Ashwin (3) caught at square leg by Dhawan. Prabhu (3) was adjudged leg before wicket off leg spinner Vikas Mishra and Aushik Srinivas (4) edged to wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht off Suyal. Mishra was the chief wicket-taker ending with an analysis of four for 50 in 38 overs. Brief Scores: Delhi: 318 and 122/2 in 41 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 76 n.o.; R Ashwin 2-39) vs Tamil Nadu (O/n: 122/5): 208 all out in 100.2 overs (S Anirudha 28, S Badrinath 104; Pawan Suyal 3-37, Vikas Mishra 4-49). Gujarat vs Saurashtra Saurashtra take lead against Gujarat Saurashtra bowlers produced a fine display to bowl out Gujarat for 191 and clinch a vital 71-run first innings lead on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match in Surat . At stumps, Saurashtra were 20 for two in their second essay with Bhushan Chauhan unbeaten on 22 and Shitanshu Kotak on one. Chirag Pathak (35) and Sandip Maniar (0) were the two Saurashtra batsmen to fall in the second innings. Off-break bowler Mohnish Parmar scalped both the victims giving away 11 runs. Earlier in the day, Gujarat batsmen fumbled against the strong Saurashtra bowling attack led by Jaidev Undakat and Ravindra Jadeja, both scalping three wickets apiece, costing 46 and 49 runs respectively. Left-arm orthodox bowler Rakesh Dhruv picked up two crucial wickets of skipper Parthiv Patel (10) and Niraj Patel (18), while Maniar and Kotak also managed to bag one wicket each. Opener Priyank Panchal was the highest scorer for Gujarat with 40 followed by Prathmesh Parmar (36) and Bhavik Thaker (30). At stumps, Saurashtra were leading by 131 runs with eight wickets in hand. Brief scores: Saurashtra: 262 and 60/2 in 30 overs (Chirag Pathak 35; Mohnish Parmar 2-11) vs Gujarat (O/n: 20/1): 191 all out in 73.4 overs (Priyank Kirit Panchal 40, Bhavik Thakar 30, Pratharesh Parmar 36; Jaidev Unadkat 3-46, Ravindra Jadeja 3-49, Rakesh Dhruv Haryana vs Baroda Bhatt's 7/127 helps Baroda crush Haryana by an innings Bhargav Bhatt produced a sensational show of spin bowling with figures of seven for 127 as Baroda crushed Haryana by an innings and 33 runs with a day to spare in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match. Bhatt denied Haryana any chance of forcing their opponents to bat for the second time by claiming the top and middle order as the home side were all out for 310 after following on on the third and penultimate day of the match. In the process, 20-year-old Bhatt registered the best first class performance of his career with match figures of 10 for 152 runs. Brief score: Haryana 127 and (O/n: 38/0): 310 all out in 99.5 overs (Nitin Saini 37, Rahul Dewan 34, Manav Sharma 28, Hemang Badani 79, Joginder Sharma 47, Ashish Hooda 29; Bhargav Bhatt 7-127) lt to Baroda: 470. Mumbai vs Bengal After their exploits with the bat, Mumbai put up a cohesive effort to dismiss Bengal for 296 on the penultimate day here at Eden Gardens. The 39-times champions will now eye an outright win on Saturday with the home team trailing the visitors by 325 runs in the first innings. Bad light ended the play early and it remained unclear whether the hosts will be asked to follow on. Replying to Mumbai’s mammoth 621 for eight declared, debutant Writam Porel smashed a defiant 71 while Saurashish Lahiri gave him good company with a patient 62 to help Bengal amass 296 after they were five down for 84 runs at one stage. Pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, playing his first Ranji game of the season, scalped three wickets for Mumbai giving away 92 runs, while veteran Ajit Agarkar (2/56), Avishkar Salvi (2/51) and off-spinner Ramesh Powar (2/63) accounted for two victims apiece. At stumps, Mumbai had already assured itself three points by virtue of a huge 325-run first innings lead but the visitors are expected to go for the kill on the last day to ensure full five points. Resuming at 28 for one, Bengal had a terrible start to the day as they lost overnight batsman Rohan Banerjee (3) without adding any run on the scoreboard as he nicked one to Onkar Gurav behind the stumps off Kulkarni. Sreevats Goswami (20) too departed in a similar fashion to Agarkar after adding just five runs to his overnight score. To make matters worse for the hosts, skipper Manoj Tiwary (15) was run out and then wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha followed suit slumping Bengal to 84 for five in 39.4 overs. Then Porel stitched a crucial 70-run partnership with Laxmi Ratan Shukla (38) to steady the sinking Bengal ship before he became the seventh hosts batsman to fall. Porel struck 13 beautiful boundaries in his maiden 127-ball first class knock. Then came Lahiri who together with Shibsagar Singh (40) held fort and added 91 runs for the eighth wicket in 23.2 overs to take the Bengal score near 300-mark. While Lahiri hit nine fours in his 110-ball knock, Shibsagar decorated his innings with seven hits to the fence. Brief score: Mumbai: 621/8 decl vs Bengal (O/n: 28/1): 296 all out in 97.1 overs (Writam Porel 71, Laxmi Ratan Shukla 38, Saurasish Lahiri 62, Shibsagar Singh 40; Ajit Agarkar 2-56, Dhawal Kulkarni 3-92, Avishakar Salvi 2-51, Ramesh Powar 2-63).

[Feed]

Bengal looking down the barrel vs Mumbai Mumbai dismissed Bengal to 296 all out almost half an hour before close of play on the third day of the Ranji Trophy Super League ‘A' match at the Eden Gardens here on Friday. More... Bengal looking down the barrel - Debutant Writam Porel hits 71; - Kulkarni picks up three for 92 A STAFF REPORTER Calcutta: Woorkeri Raman paced up and down in front of the makeshift Bengal tent at the Eden Gardens on Friday. Bengal were staring down the barrel at 110 for five. Lunch was just minutes away and the Bengal coach didn’t want another mishap in the first session. Debutant Writam Porel was looking well set and Laxmi Ratan Shukla had won a one-to-one battle with Ajit Agarkar. Surely, Raman hadn’t predicted a servile batting display from his top-rung batsmen, but he must be pleased with Porel’s resilience on debut against 39-time Ranji champions, Mumbai. It is customary for a team to lift their game against a superior side. But Bengal’s outing against Mumbai has been a humdrum affair. In home conditions, they have failed to threaten the visitors with the ball and have failed to match Mumbai’s prowess with the bat. Bengal folded up for 296 conceding three points for their 325-run first innings deficit. Worse still, they can still lose the match, if Mumbai pick up 10 wickets on Saturday. Mumbai bowlers did everything that their Bengal counterparts couldn’t on a “typical Eden wicket”. They got the ball to rear up from the good length spot, had the batsmen ducking for cover and picked up wickets without getting hassled. Disaster strikes What Bengal seamer Ranadeb Bose did in small bursts, Ajit Agarkar, Dhawal Kulkarni and Aavishkar Salvi did in an alarming regularity to trouble the batsmen. Kulkarni removed overnight batsman Rohan Banerjee (3) in the third over when the latter dished out a catch to Omkar Gurav behind stumps. The Mumbai ’keeper next showed superb athleticism to pouch Sreevats Goswami (20) diving full stretch to his left. At 41 for 3, the hosts were depending on skipper Manoj Tiwary (14) for revival. But in a mad rush to steal a third, Tiwary was run out. Thankfully, Porel (71) used the opportunity to play a freewheeling innings. He ventured out against Ramesh Powar for a four in the latter’s first over. He punished anything trash, else played within himself. The pitch which looked flat had come to life. Shukla (38) pulled Agarkar for two boundaries in one over. The Mumbai pacer hit back instantly with a sharp bouncer and gave the batsman a long stare in follow through. Bengal added 88 runs losing four wickets in the first session. Post lunch, Kulkarni and Powar removed Shukla and Porel respectively. Mumbai started the count, but Bengal fought back through Sourasish Lahiri (62) and Shib Sagar Singh (40). The duo stood bravely trying to delay the inevitable. Mumbai opted for the new ball, but the two held together Bengal’s fragile lower order beautifully. Sourasish and Shib added 91 runs for the eighth wicket, Lahiri scoring a fighting half-century. Dhawal Kulkarni was the pick of the Mumbai bowlers picking up three for 92 in 26 overs. Mumbai let Bengal off the hook After bowling out Bengal for 296 on the third day of the Elite Group A Ranji Trophy match at Eden Gardens on Friday, Mumbai didn’t enforce the follow-on. In a four-day match, a lead of 150 runs is required to ask the opponent to bat again, and the visitors had a 325-run lead. More importantly, a bonus point was up for grabs that comes with an innings victory. Inexplicably, Mumbai refused to take the initiative. Nobody offered any explanation. Skipper Wasim Jaffer left with a one-liner, “Kaal bolenge (Will tell tomorrow).” Later team manager Nitin Dalal said: “The bowlers were very tired and the slowness of the wicket prompted us not enforce the follow-on.” Bengal, resuming on overnight 28 for one, lost nine wickets in 82 overs on the day. Ninety overs are available on the final day on Saturday, and after a good night’s sleep the bowlers wouldn’t have been all that tired. So, the manager’s logic was far from convincing. The decision, however, is all set to give the hosts a point which they don’t deserve. Chasing a 600-plus score, Bengal batting choked. Though Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer's decision to begin the second innings came as a surprise, it is widely felt that the condition of the pitch was so good that it would not been possible to dismiss Bengal in its second innings on the final day. Instead of making its bowlers and fielders toil on another warm day, the team management might have tempted to rest them and be satisfied with three points earned from taking the first innings lead.

[Feed]

RP’s six wickets rips Orissa apart The last time people noticed RP Singh was 14 months back when he played for India against Pakistan. Since then he has not done anything of note and had almost disappeared from public memory. Sharad Deep reports More... RP’s six wickets rips Orissa apart Sharad Deep, Hindustan Times Lucknow, November 12, 2010 The last time people noticed RP Singh was 14 months back when he played for India against Pakistan. Since then he has not done anything of note and had almost disappeared from public memory. In the Ranji Trophy opener against Punjab last week, RP could remove just a couple of tailenders. On Friday however, the 24-year-old paceman ripped through Orissa's first innings to let people know of his presence. RP's 6 for 48 in 21 overs on a slow pitch here, put Uttar Pradesh in the drivers' seat, leaving Orissa struggling to save follow on at 232/9. RP used the new ball well, first in the morning and then at the *** end of the third day. He swung back one to trap Orissa skipper SS Das (1) leg before in his third over, before shattering the stumps of Govind Poddar (1) to leave Orissa tottering at 74/4. In the second session he had Biplab Samantray (20) and Subhrajit Sahoo (6), and then got rid of Natraj Behera (113) and Basant Mohanty (5) in the final session. The only man to stand tall for Orissa was opener Behera. At stumps, the experienced Debashish Mohanty (30) is giving company to Dhiraj Singh (1). Orissa still need 22 runs to avoid follow-on and have a wicket in hand. Brief Scores: UP 403 Orissa 232/9 (N Behera 113; RP Singh 6/48).

[Feed]

Delhi take lead and initiative against TN despite Badrinath ton Delhi's bowling appeared a weak link to Tamil Nadu ahead of the contest. However, the young and inexperienced attack has not only given Delhi the first innings lead but also a chance for an outright win. More... Delhi take lead and initiative against TN despite Badrinath ton A fine display of controlled bowling from a young Delhi attack helped the visitor gain the first innings lead on day three of its Ranji Trophy Super League Group ‘A' match against Tamil Nadu here on Friday. Delhi's batsmen then extended the lead to 232 by close of play, losing only two second innings wickets in the process. Delhi's bowling appeared a weak link to Tamil Nadu ahead of the contest. However, the young and inexperienced attack has not only given Delhi the first innings lead but also a chance for an outright win. The visitors had Tamil Nadu gasping for breath at 122 for 5 in their second innings at the end on Thursday. Still, there was a lot of work to be done on Friday. Badrinath was going strong on 45, and had C. Ganapathy, R Ashiwn - both decent batsmen - and others to give him company. The visitors needed to keep up the pressure and their spinners - Vikas Mishra and Manoj Chauhan - did exactly that. Both of them bowled with amazing control to make Badrinath and Ganapathy sweat for every run. Mishra stuck to a nagging line and length - he gave just 50 runs off 38 overs and picked up four wickets. A day after seeing his name missing from BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, S. Badrinath ground out his 23rd first class century, even as Tamil Nadu fell 110 short of Delhi's 318. Badrinath's 104 (273b, 6x4, 2x6) showcased the determination and technique that made him a domestic run machine. Badrinath was at the crease for over six hours, but never got on top of Delhi's bowling, and struggled to time the ball even after crossing 80. He tried to knock offie Manoj Chauhan off his line just before lunch, stepping out and heaving him over midwicket and driving him inside-out, but it was an aberrant spurt of aggression in a marathon graft. Left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra, all of 17, wasn't cut or pulled once in his 38 overs. He troubled C. Ganapathy with turn from around the wicket, and had a stumping shout ruled out by the third umpire when he beat Badrinath with one dangled outside off from over the wicket. Chauhan, the debutant off-spinner, created quite a few chances. He made Ganapathy dance to his tunes, but was unfortunate not to get his wicket. In that light, it is poetic justice when he uprooted the stump with a direct throw from mid-on to catch Ganapathy inches short of his crease. The overnight batsmen extended their sixth-wicket partnership to 89 before Ganapathy was run out by Chauhan's direct hit from mid on. That run-out crushed whatever little chance the hosts had of coming closer to Delhi's first innings total. While Badrinath laboured to his hundred, the batsmen at the other end couldn't last long. While Chauhan and Mishra picked up a wicket each today, left-arm seamer Pawan Suyal returned to pick up the last two wickets, including that of Badrinath, to wrap up the innings at just 208, giving Delhi a handy lead of 110 Tamil Nadu's last four wickets fell for 32 runs before Badrinath was last out, bowled by 21-year-old left-arm seamer Pawan Suyal. Tamil Nadu's spinners came on after just two overs of seam, and plugged away at Delhi's left-handed openers to try and force a collapse. Shikhar Dhawan ensured the futility of their quest and raced to 76 (113b, 10x4) by close of play. R. Ashwin's efforts yielded two wickets, Chetan Sharma bowled playing for non-existent turn, Yogesh Nagar caught at leg slip.

[Feed]

Bhatt's 7/127 helps Baroda crush Haryana by an innings Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt claimed seven wickets as Baroda won by an innings and 33 runs its second round Ranji Trophy Super League match against Haryana at Rohtak on Friday. More... Bhatt's 7/127 helps Baroda crush Haryana by an innings PTI, Nov 12, 2010, ROHTAK: Bhargav Bhatt produced a sensational show of spin bowling with figures of seven for 127 as Baroda crushed Haryana by an innings and 33 runs with a day to spare in the Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match on Friday. Bhatt denied Haryana any chance of forcing their opponents to bat for the second time by claiming the top and middle order as the home side were all out for 310 after following on on the third and penultimate day of the match. In the process, 20-year-old Bhatt registered the best first class performance of his career with match figures of 10 for 152 runs. Haryana, who had conceded a huge 343 run lead to their opponents, made a spirited start to their second essay with their opening pair making 68 runs before Bhatt triggered a mini collapse, removing three batsmen - Rahul Dewan (34), Sunny Singh (3) and Nitin Saini (37) to reduce the hosts to 77 for three. Heman Badani (79) then involved himself in two substantive partnerships to take the fight to Baroda. Badani first shared 86 runs for the fourth wicket with Manav Sharma (28) and then stitched 76 runs with Joginder Sharma (47) for the sixth wicket before falling to Munaf Patel. Haryana were 259 for seven at that stage and the writing was on the wall. Three Haryana wickets - Joginder, Badani and Amaradeep Sonkar (0) - fell at the same score of 259. Badani's 79 came from 162 balls from which he hit 10 fours and two sixes. The last wicket pair of Ashish Hooda (29) and Sanjay Budhwar (19 not out) delayed the inevitable by sharing 48 runs in 8.4 overs before the former departed to hand an innings victory to Baroda and six points from the match.

[Sooda]

Think this is Sudeep Tyagis first game of the season? Hope he gets fully fit and firing soon again..good to see RPS among the wickets even if it was Orissa

[Feed]

Punjab show pluck as Karnataka tries to go for win Yuvraj Singh's unbeaten 52 helped Punjab score 173 for two in their second innings but the visitors are still trailing by 10 runs after the end of the third day's play in their Ranji trophy Super League Group B match against Karnataka on Friday. More... Yuvraj leads Punjab's fightback Special Correspondent MOHALI: Having conceded plenty of ground to Karnataka, Punjab came up with a much improved performance in its second innings in a serious bid to deny the visiting team an outright victory at the PCA Stadium here on Friday. Trailing by 183 runs on the first innings, Punjab ended the penultimate day at 173 for two. With Yuvraj Singh looking determined to play to his reputation and still around at 52, and in-form players like skipper Pankaj Dharmani and Uday Kaul to follow, the host had reasons to be optimistic of salvaging one point on the final day. Earlier, Karnataka traded its last four wickets for 80 runs in two hours. Amit Verma was last out for 60 after getting appreciable support from Joshi with whom he added 38 runs for the ninth wicket. When a catch is dropped off the very first ball of an innings, it allows for the team batting to recoup and consolidate, especially if the wicket has settled down and evened out leaving little or no breathing space for bowlers. And that’s exactly what happened in Punjab’s second innings. Having conceded a first innings lead of 183 runs, Punjab were lucky to see Sarul Kanwar being floored by Pawan at second slip and that also signaled the start of the grind for Karnataka on the field. Classy knock When Punjab came into bat for the second time in the match, the wicket was shorn of any devils and the ball was coming onto the bat beautifully, making batting easier than the first two days of the contest. Yuvraj, faced with an opportunity to play a match-saving knock, produced an array of strokes that reflected his class. He was content on driving straight in the early part of the innings before playing some delectable strokes on either side of the pitch. Vishwas Bhalla, dropped at one by Rahul off Vinay Kumar, gained from Yuvraj's presence and played his part well in the ongoing third-wicket stand of 62. He was sensible not to get carried away by Yuvraj's effortless display. Bhalla kept the Karnataka bowlers at bay. Yuvraj Singh (52 batting, 78b, 8 x 4) strode in at No.3 after the openers Sarul (39) and Ravi Inder Singh (52) had put on 84 for the opening wicket, to take control of the situation in the middle. His presence at the wicket not only ensured that Punjab did not finish day three with too much damage, but also took the hosts to within 10 runs of the lead conceded. All the Punjab batsmen who took strike showed better application and purpose. Even as the Karnataka speedsters Mithun, Vinay and Arvind bent their backs on the barren track, the home team lads stood up to be counted and seemed determined not to give away their wickets without a fight. Yuvraj Singh showed exemplary temperament in his unfinished 142 minutes stay, waiting for the loose deliveries to execute some lovely shots on either side of the wicket. Yuvraj and his unbeaten partner, when play was called off due to bad light, Vishwas Bhalla (22) have so far added 62 valuable runs for the unfinished third wicket stand. When Punjab began its second innings 20 minutes before lunch, it had to not only score runs but also use up time in order to save the match. Punjab could have been in trouble off the very first ball of the innings had K.B. Pawan, at second slip, held on to an overhead catch offered by Sarul Kanwar off Vinay Kumar. Thereafter, Kanwar and a more assured Ravi Inder Singh did not allow the medium pace trio of Vinay, Mithun and Arvind to dictate terms during their 84-run stand. In the hour before lunch, Arvind provided the breakthrough with Kanwar offering a regulation catch at second slip. Before long, Ravi became Mithun's first victim of the match after wicketkeeper Gautam completed the dismissal. In the last session, however, Karnataka could not hurt Punjab. Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh (Sr), who took the gamble of pushing Yuvraj up the order, summed up the mood in his dressing room: "Yuvraj is one of our main batsmen. We wanted him to bat up the order and make use of the time left in the match and score a big score. With a day still to go and Yuvi in good nick, I hope he scores a hundred tomorrow. Yuvraj is a match-winner, whether he is playing for Punjab or India. I hope he chips in with big scores in the Ranji Trophy and gets back into the Indian Test side." Earlier, Karnataka were bowled out for 426, giving them a lead of 183 runs. Going for a win The importance of these partnerships will be known on the morrow when Karnataka will look to go for an outright victory, especially in the first hour of play when the moisture on the wicket will be crucial for both teams. However, Punjab were the beneficiaries of some poor umpiring by Subrata Das who negated two plumb leg before appeals off Vinay and Arvind, Ravi Inder benefitting on both occasions to go on and complete a half century. To make matters worse, Bhalla was floored by debutant K.L. Rahul at short square, awkwardly fending off a Vinay Kumar bouncer. Earlier, Karnataka added 80 runs to stretch their overnight 103-run lead to 183, their innings closing at 426, two hours into the day’s play with Amith Verma (60) going on to complete his half century. Karnataka had reached the final of the Ranji trophy last season and they will be hoping to do an encore this time round. Last year, they went down to Mumbai by just six runs.

[Feed]

Crafty Kartik restricts Assam as Skippers show the way at Karnail Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik grabbed five wickets to help Railways reduce Assam to 160 for nine and give his side a chance for victory in an absorbing Group A Ranji Trophy Super League match, on the penultimate day on Friday. More... Crafty Kartik restricts Assam Special Correspondent NEW DELHI: Bishan Singh Bedi insists Murali Kartik is the “best spinner” in the country and the Railways skipper demonstrated his skills with a five-wicket haul at the Karnail Singh Stadium here on Friday. Matching him in performance was Assam skipper Amol Muzumdar, who confirmed his Bombay grooming with a typically-disciplined and well-crafted innings of 73 that kept his team in the race on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy super league contest. The Super League match between Railways and Assam being played at the Karnail Singh stadium here reached an interesting stage on Day Three on Friday. After dismissing Railways for 182 for a five-run lead, Amol Muzumdar's side were left stranded at 160 for 9 on a pitch that will test the mettle of batsmen on the final day. The day began with pacer Dhiraj Goswami intent on completing a five-wicket haul. A brilliant delivery to Kulamani Parida that left his stumps rattled gave Goswami his only wicket of the day. Jai P Yadav (37) followed soon after. Assam then began their quest to build on the slender lead but failed to threaten at any stage. Skipper Murali Kartik removed opener Dheeraj Jadhav (6) and ran out Pervez Aziz (7). He later returned to dismiss Sridharan Sriram (8). Kartik has taken nine wickets in the match. Had it not been for his counterpart, Muzumdar (73*), Assam would have been in deeper trouble. He strung together a few brief partnerships to help his side into three figures. It was a fascinating duel between Kartik and Muzumdar after Railways, having conceded a five-run first innings lead, hit back through Kartik and seamer Sanjay Bangar to leave Assam at 160 for nine. Parida derailed againThe day ended on a sad note for off-spinner K. Parida when he was ‘called', practically bringing the curtains on his 14-yar-old career. In contrast to Assam’s dressing room which cheered for Amol Muzumdar reaching 10,000 first-class runs, a cloud of silence loomed heavily over the Railways hut at the Karnail Singh Stadium on Friday. Long before the rest of his team-mates could leave the ground, Railways off-spinner Kulamani Parida quietly walked away bearing his kit bag, head bowed. Skipper Murali Kartik did his best to make it easy, patting his back on the way. Parida bowled just one over, the last one of the day, in Assam’s second innings. The one run Parida conceded came off a no-ball after he was called for throwing. Parida had bowled nine overs in the first innings and escaped censure after displaying a corrected albeit ineffective action. In the second innings, he seemed to struggle to complete his over cleanly. Last year, when Parida had come under the scanner for the first time, he had said, “Am I a 22-year-old who is looking to play for India? If I am called again, I may just retire.” So when Parida was included in the Railways squad against Assam, it was widely believed that it was for his farewell match. Assam were nine wickets down when Kartik — who had taken five wickets in the innings — handed the ball to Parida. When asked why, Kartik replied, “Spur of the moment. It’s really sad the way he had to go. I started my playing career with him. We have had some really good times together. It’s sad for things to come down to this.” 10,000 runs On Thursday, Amol Muzumdar had celebrated his 36th birthday by cutting a cake. On Friday, he again had to do the honours, this time for celebrating 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. Muzumdar reached five figures during the course of his unbeaten 73. “It is a very difficult pitch. The bounce is uneven and you need lot of experience and lot of luck to survive,” said Muzumdar, who passed the milestone of 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. A result seems certain with both teams having equal chance on a track that has been difficult to score off.

[Sooda]

Has Monish Parmar totally lost it after remodelling his action...not really heard of him at all since

[The Dark Horse]

the bcci's scorecard for matches is shabby and bad

[Feed]

Bowlers hand Saurashtra first innings lead against Gujarat Saurashtra bowlers produced a fine display to bowl out Gujarat for 191 and clinch a vital 71-run first innings lead on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match played on Friday. More... Bowlers hand Saurashtra first innings lead against Gujarat Saturday, November 13, 2010 Surat: Saurashtra bowlers produced a fine display to bowl out Gujarat for 191 and clinch a vital 71-run first innings lead on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Super League Group A match played on Friday. At stumps, Saurashtra were 20 for two in their second essay with Bhushan Chauhan batting on 22 and Shitanshu Kotak on one. Chirag Pathak (35) and Sandip Maniar (0) were the two Saurashtra batsmen to fall in the second innings. Off-break bowler Mohnish Parmar scalped both the victims giving away 11 runs. Earlier in the day, Gujarat batsmen fumbled against the strong Saurashtra bowling attack led by Jaidev Undakat and Ravindra Jadeja, both scalping three wickets apiece, costing 46 and 49 runs respectively. Left-arm orthodox bowler Rakesh Dhruv picked up two crucial wickets of skipper Parthiv Patel (10) and Niraj Patel (18), while Maniar and Kotak also managed to bag one wicket each. Opener Priyank Panchal was the highest scorer for Gujarat with 40 followed by Prathmesh Parmar (36) and Bhavik Thaker (30). At stumps, Saurashtra were leading by 131 runs with eight wickets in hand. PTI

[urbestfriend]

punjab 283-6, yuvi 79 again fell to Aravind , Karnataka should take remianing 4 wickets quickly and go for an outright victory

[vvvslaxman]

Ashwin 11 wicket haul for the match.

[diegovegaz]

i hope he continues like this, and gets picked for the WC squad

[saneindian]

Kudos to the Mohali curator for producing a wonderful pitch for the match between Karnataka and Punjab. Mithun and Vinay Kumar have bowled wonderfully on this track. Looks like Karnataka are in for an outright win.

[DomainK]

Six wickets is always a good achievement. But I am not sure that Orissa has a good enough batting lineup.

[The Dark Horse]

Ashwin 11 wicket haul for the match.

Yes and TN needs 269 more to win in 47 overs available