Ranji Trophy: Yuvraj slams 25th first-class ton; Pankaj Singh's five gives Rajasthan edge
In the first match of this Ranji season, Yuvraj managed to score only 26 runs from two innings against Railways.
In Short
- Yuvraj Singh has been struggling to find his form in the domestic circuit
- Yuvraj managed to score only 26 runs from two innings against Railways
- Pankaj Singh first trapped Rahul Hazarika (6) and then had Pallav Kumar Das (40) caught by wicket-keeper Chetan Bisht for Rajasthan
Yuvraj Singh on Thursday ended his slump in form with a brilliant century in Punjab's Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh. Yuvraj, who was ignored for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand, slammed his 25th first-class ton.
The left-handed batsman has been struggling to find his form in the domestic circuit. In the first match of this Ranji season, Yuvraj managed to score only 26 runs from two innings against Railways.
PANKAJ SINGH TAKES FIVE
Captain Pankaj Singh produced an incisive spell of fast bowling for a five-wicket haul as Rajasthan bundled out Assam for a paltry 195 in their Group B Ranji Trophy match.
Electing to field, Rajasthan made an impact on the game with Pankaj accounting for both the Assam openers. He first trapped Rahul Hazarika (6) and then had Pallav Kumar Das (40) caught by wicket-keeper Chetan Bisht. (Yuvraj Singh wants to play 2019 World Cup)
Before being dismissed Pallav had added 63 runs for the second wicket with Rishav Das, who ended up top scorer for his side with an unbeaten 93. Rishav was solid from one end but kept losing partners with following batsmen struggling to reach double-digit score.
Pankaj completed his five-wicket haul when he caught and bowled Krishna Das (9), who happened to be the last man out on Assam first innings. NB Singh (2/40) took two wickets while AV Choudhary (1/22) and AB Singh (1/32) dismissed one batsman each.
BENGAL'S EASWARAN SLAMS TON AGAINST UP
In Jaipur, opener Abhimanyu Easwaran batted with a lot of determination as his unbeaten 123 helped Bengal reach a decent 288 for 3 against Uttar Pradesh.
It was a collective batting effort by a young Bengal top-order with Easwaran being ably supported by the talented left-hander Sudeep Chatterjee (73) and debutant southpaw Agniv Pan (53).
However the day belonged to Easwaran, who dropped anchor at one end en route to his second first class hundred. His unbeaten 123 came off 241 balls with 18 boundaries - his second in Ranji Trophy after his 150 not out against Tamil Nadu back in 2015. (Yuvraj Singh hits form in his 100th IPL match )
Manoj Tiwary called it right at the toss and Bengal openers Easwaran and Sayan Sekhar Mondal (30) provided a steady start with a stand of 64 in 20 overs.
DELHI STRUGGLE AGIANST MAHARASHTRA
In Mumbai, stand-in-skipper Swapnil Gugale's patient 152 was complemented brilliantly by Ankit Bawane's equally impressive 120 not out which helped Maharashtra reach a commendable 290/2 against Delhi on day one.
The duo added 249 runs for the unbroken third wicket stand as Delhi used as many as seven bowlers without much success. Electing to bat at the Wankhede stadium, Maharashtra were reeling at 41/2 as Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini struck twice removing opener Harshad Khadiwale (10) and Chirag Khurana (4) in the first half an hour. (Gautam Gambhir's fitness test over, Yuvraj Singh in line for ODI comeback?)
While Khadiwale was caught by Delhi's skipper Unmukt Chand in slips, Khurana was trapped leg before wicket. Bawane walked two down ably supported his skipper as the two stitched an unbeaten 249 run stand for the third wicket. They ensured that the side did not lose any more wickets in the last two sessions of play.
SAURASHTRA BUNDLE ODISHA OUT FOR 228
In Hyderabad, opener Sandeep Pattnaik's 123-run knock was the lone saving grace in Odisha's dismal batting performance as Saurashtra dismissed them for 228 on the opening day. (Ranji Trophy, Day 2 wrap: Deepak Hooda ton lifts Baroda, Yuvraj Singh flops)
In reply, Saurashtra were 4 for no loss at stumps. Openers Mohsin Dodia (3) and Sagar Jogiyani (0) were at the crease for Saurashtra. Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja was the wrecker-in-chief for Saurashtra with figures of 4 for 67 in 23.5 overs.
CHAHAL SPINS HYDERABAD OUT FOR 191
Riding on Yuzvendra Chahal's six-wicket haul, Haryana restricted Hyderabad to 191 in their first innings on the opening day of a Group C match. Legspinner Chahal did not let any of the Hyderabad batsmen settle down as he wreaked havoc, finishing with impressive figures of 6 for 44.
For Hyderabad, BP Sandeep top-scored with 44 after they opted to bat first upon winning the toss. Other notable contributors were K Sumanth (35) and skipper S Badrinath (27).
(With PTI inputs)