OPINION
Follow UsMumbai emerge victorious over Goa owing to Mulani's eleven wickets
Mumbai began their second round with an underwhelming performance on Day One, getting bowled out for just 163 runs as Sarfaraz Khan top scored with 63. On the other hand, Goa garnered a lead of 164 runs in the first innings with Shams Mulani picking six wickets.
However, the Mumbai batters put up a good show in the second innings with the lower order rising to the occasion. Tanush Kotian (98) and Mulani (50) took the total to 395/9 before declaring on Day Four. With a target of 232 on board and two sessions left, Goa slipped to 63/8 before Tea and were eventually bowled out for 112 with the last pair troubling Mumbai for quite a while.
Mulani picked another fifer to finish with eleven wickets and also went on to win the Player of the Match award.
In the other league game, Saurashtra procured an innings victory over Odisha, riding on a double ton by Chirag Jani. Post that, it was left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja who took the centre stage, picking 4/48 & 7/88 respectively. Odisha, who failed to cross Saurashtra's total of 501, lost by an innings and 131 runs, giving their opponents a bonus point as well.
DO NOT MISS: Chirag Jani's splendid knock 👌 👌
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 26, 2022
The Saurashtra right-hander hit 3⃣3⃣ fours & 4⃣ sixes and scored 2⃣3⃣5⃣ against Odisha. 👏 👏 #RanjiTrophy | #SAUvODI | @saucricket | @Paytm
A snippet of his innings 🎥 🔽 pic.twitter.com/Dv0gTlxPyE
Brief scores:
Mumbai (163 & 395/9 d) beat Goa (327 & 112) by 119 runs
Saurashtra (501) beat Odisha (165 & 205 f) by an innings and 131 runs
Points Table
Currently, Mumbai lead the table with nine points followed closely by Saurashtra at eight points. Odisha have three points in their bag while Goa have just one.
Jharkhand secure nail-biting win over Delhi courtesy Nadeem's ten wicket haul
Riding on skipper Virat Singh's 103, Jharkhand posted 251 on board in the first innings. Shahbaz Nadeem's five-wicket haul allowed them to restrict Delhi to 224, thus gaining a meagre first innings lead of 27 runs.
In the second innings, Jharkhand were reduced to 67/4 before centuries from Nazim (110) and Kumar Suraj (131*) took them towards a respectable lead. After batting for two overs on Day Four and a lead of 334 runs, Jharkhand declared their innings.
Dhruv Shorey stepped up at the top order with a century. Delhi were well on course of the target at 257/4 post Tea. However, his wicket by Nadeem created a turnaround for Jharkhand. Later, they fell apart from 309/6 to 319 all out, as the lower order went out like a pack of cards. Delhi fell short by just 15 runs.
Shahbaz Nadeem picked a fifer in both innings and deservingly won the Player of the Match award.
There was some intense cricketing action in the other league game as well. Owing to twin centuries by Baba Aparajith (166) and Baba Indrajith (127), Tamil Nadu registered a total of 470/9 in their first innings. In response, Chhattisgarh posted 304 led by captain Harpreet Singh's 170. Following on, they were reduced to 65/5 at one stage before the skipper came to the rescue again alongside Shashank Singh (67) as they managed to enforce a draw.
Brief scores:
Jharkhand (251 & 307/7 d) beat Delhi (224 & 319) by 15 runs
Tamil Nadu (470/9 d) drew with Chhattisgarh (304 & 172/8 f)
Points Table
While Chhattisgarh gave away a first innings lead, they top the table currently with seven points. Jharkhand have gained the second position with six points. Tamil Nadu are also at six points while Delhi are last with three points.
Karun Nair's batting and Prasidh Krishna's bowling lifts Karnataka against J&K
Batting first, Karun Nair's knock of 175 propelled Karnataka to a total of 302. Jammu Kashmir started well with 55/0 before Prasidh Krishna's fiery spell (6/35) folded their innings at a paltry total of 93.
Karnataka didn't enforce the follow on and put up another strong show with the bat. Fifties from Nair (71*), K Siddharth (72) and R Samarth (62) took them to 298/3 before their declaration. With an improbable target of 508 to win, Jammu Kashmir gave a very good fight in contrast with their first innings performance.
Skipper Ian Singh (110) and Abdul Samad (70) kept their team in fray before Krishnappa Gowtham sent both of them back and opened the gates for a victory. Prasidh and Shreyas Gopal cashed in post Lunch to help their team register a win by 117 runs.
Brief scores:
Karnataka (302 & 298/3 d) defeat Jammu Kashmir (93 & 390) by 117 runs
Points Table
Karnataka swarmed to the first position with nine points while Jammu Kashmir are second with six points. Railways are on four points after playing out two draws while Puducherry are languishing at the bottom with one point.
Ganesh Satish' 275 helps Vidarbha get first innings lead
Batting first, Vidarbha posted a mammoth total of 570/5 with Ganesh Satish (275) and Akshay Wadkar (170*) making the big runs. As for Maharashtra, the likes of Ankit Bawne (92) and Naushad Shaikh (103) held the fort strong.
However, a collapse meant they went down from 247/3 to 328 all out which allowed a first innings lead to Vidarbha. Following on, they were 69/4 at Stumps on Day Four as the match ended in a draw.
Brief scores:
Vidarbha (570/5 d) drew with Maharashtra (328 & 69/4 f)
Points Table
Maharashtra currently lead the table with 9 points while Vidarbha who have drawn both their games with first innings lead are at the third position with 6 points. Uttar Pradesh are second with seven points while Assam are yet to open their account.
All-round performance from Shahbaz helps Bengal trump Hyderabad by 72 runs
After Bengal posted 242 on board, their bowlers managed to restrict Hyderabad to 205. In the second innings, Shahbaz Ahmed's 51 took Bengal to 201, setting a target of 239. He then also picked three wickets while Akash Deep took four scalps as Bengal went on to win by 72 runs. Tilak Verma who scored 90 was the lone warrior for Hyderabad who were bowled out for 166.
Brief scores:
Bengal (242 & 201) defeat Hyderabad (205 & 166)
Points Table
Bengal currently lead the group with two wins in two games and a total of 12 points in their kitty. Hyderabad have six points and are second followed by Baroda at three points. Chattisgarh are at the fourth position with just one point in their kitty.
Top draws to watch out for in the next round
Madhya Pradesh and Kerala are among the few teams to register victories in both rounds. Hence, there will be a lot of interest when these two teams go face-to-face at Rajkot in the third round with a guaranteed spot in the playoffs up for grabs if either of them win.
Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh in Elite Group G are placed at 8 and 7 points respectively. Both will look to gain an edge over the other as they lock horns. However in case of a draw, Vidarbha with six points, will aim to get ahead if they defeat Assam who have lost both their games so far.
In Elite Group D, Mumbai and Saurashtra will aim to win their Round 3 games against Odisha and Goa respectively to stay on top. Currently Mumbai are one point ahead of Saurashtra.
The final round promises for an exciting finish to the league phase of Ranji Trophy.
