Baroda post big win on a day of draws
A summary of matches on the fourth day of the latest round in the Ranji Trophy.
Cricinfo staff
04-Dec-2005
Three wickets each from Rakesh Patel and Irfan Pathan Sr, the medium pacers, and Rajesh Pawar, the left-arm spinner, consigned Uttar Pradesh to an innings and 93-run defeat at the hands of Baroda at Ghaziabad. Earlier, Baroda amassed 605 for 9 thanks to Jacob Martin, their captain, who scored an epic 251 not-out. UP didn't even offered a fight, falling to some testing bowling from Baroda's bowlers. This was Baroda's first win of the season, after they had the better of the draw in their opening game against Andhra, and they sat pretty at the top of the Elite Group B points table.
Thirteen wickets tumbled with both teams going for victory on an engrossing final day's play at Anantapur, but the match, which had it's share of controversy as well, was called off with 15.2 overs to go. A seven-wicket spell from Syeb Sahabuddin, the medium-fast bowler, shot out Hyderabad for 80, leaving Andhra 220 to get from a possible 42 overs. A rapid fifty from Ambati Rayadu, who shifted from Hyderabad at the start of this season, took Andhra close to what would have been a remarkable victory, despite Hyderabad taking six wickets in good time. However, the talking point at the end of the day was a face off between Rayudu and a few of his former Hyderabad team-mates, with heated words being exchanged, immediately after he was dismissed at 133 for 5, and Arjun Yadav, the Hyderabad captain, even attacked him with stumps.
However, the fighting duo was pacified by the team members and an inquiry was launched by match referee Suresh Deo.
Dinesh Mongia's unbeaten century and a fifty from Ravneet Ricky were the highlights of the final day's play as Punjab managed to draw with Haryana at Chandigarh. Set an improbable 392 for victory, after Haryana's tail wagged to stretched their lead, Punjab were shown the way by Mongia, their captain, who defied the bowlers in scoring 22nd first-class hundred. Both teams have one victory thus far in the season, with Haryana holding a two-point lead owing to a bonus point.
Karnataka, with a 156-run arrears in the first innings, plodded their way to a draw on the final day at Bangalore as Mumbai completed a satisfying outing having gained two points by virtue of their first-innings lead. Karnataka were left with no option but to play for a draw and Sujith Somasunder, their captain, remained unbeaten on a painstaking 55 off 217 delvieries and prevented Mumbai from an outright victory.
Jai Prakash Yadav produced an unbeaten 130 but that couldn't prevent Tamil Nadu from getting the better of the draw on the final day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Yadav added 167 for the fifth wicket with Yere Gowd to lift Railways from a shaky 89 for 4 to 267 but it was Tamil Nadu who left with two points from the game, after having gained the first-innings lead. This result meant that Tamil Nadu had broken their jinx at Karnail Singh Stadium - they had lost outright to Railways in their previous two encounters here.
Set a target of 246, Gujarat resisted the temptation of an outright victory and settled for a draw that ensured them two points against Maharashtra at Valsad. Akash Christian put paid to any hopes of a remote Maharashtra victory with a patient 50 off 149 balls as Gujarat battened down the hatches. Earlier Dheeraj Jadhav, overnight on 54, went onto a score a century to help Maharashtra declare at 259 for 7 and aim for an unlikely win, but Maharashtra will have to wait longer before they register their first points of the season.