Report

Maharashtra surge to second win

A round-up of the action from the fourth day of the third round of matches in the Ranji Trophy Plate Division 2011-12

Ibrahim Khaleel broke the record for most number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a first-class match, affecting 14 in Hyderabad's innings-and-78-run win over Assam in Guwahati. Khalil took seven catches in Assam's second innings in which they were bowled out for 169. The hosts were facing an uphill task on the fourth day: Hyderabad had taken a 247-run first-innings lead on the third and Assam had started the final day on 0 for 1. Dheeraj Jadhav and Sibsankar Roy put on 69 runs for the second wicket before left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan dismissed Jadhav for 33. Mohan went on to take five wickets in the innings, giving him his best match-haul in first-class cricket: 9 for 112. His strikes meant Assam struggled to build partnerships and they could only last 69 overs into the final day. Three of Khalil's catches in the second innings were off Mohan's bowling. His 14 dismissals in the game - 11 catches and three stumpings - pass former Matabeleland wicketkeeper Wayne James' 15-year-old record.
Maharashtra completed their second win in three games, beating Jharkhand by nine wickets in Nasik. Jharkhand could add just 63 runs to their overnight score of 218 for 6, leaving Maharashtra 106 to chase. They got there in just 21 overs with Harshad Khadiwale racing to 56 not out off 57 balls. Left-arm seamer Samad Fallah took three of the four wickets to fall in Jarkhand's innings on the fourth day to finish with 4 for 71. Following on, Jharkhand scored 282, one less than they had got in their first innings, and Maharashtra's big first-innings total ensured the fourth-day chase was an easy one.
Goa picked up their first win of the season, beating Jammu & Kashmir by 177 runs in Jammu. Goa declared on their overnight score, leaving their bowlers a whole day to bowl J & K out for a second time, with the cushion of a 398-run target. J & K started briskly and were 87 for 2 in the 17th over before a couple of strikes from seamer Ryan D'Souza pegged them back. From then on wickets fell at regular intervals with all of Goa's bowlers chipping in. Parvez Rassol, who scored 44, and Ram Dayal, who made an unbeaten 54, offered some resistance but the rest failed and J & K were bowled out for 220 in 62.4 overs.
Andhra did not risk pushing for a win in Vijayawada allowing Himachal Pradesh to collect three points for the first-innings lead. Andhra had started the day 100 runs ahead with six wickets in hand and could, perhaps, have declared at some stage on the final day to allow their bowlers a crack at earning an unlikely win. However, they batted for 68.1 overs on the final day and were eventually bowled out for 342, leaving Himachal an impossible target of 267 to win in under a session. G Shankara Rao completed his maiden first-class hundred and went on to score 148, while the other overnight batsman, Bodapati Sumanth, moved from 15 to 77. When Shankara Rao was dismissed, Andhra were 201 ahead but they decided to bat for another 24.5 overs, allowing left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia to complete a five-wicket haul.
An unbeaten century from Yashpal Singh helped Services hang on for a draw against Vidarbha at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi. Services were made to follow on after they lost their last two first-innings wickets within three overs of the fourth day. They were in trouble at 52 for 5 in 16.3 overs but Yashpal battled for 196 balls to make 124 and, with the help of the lower order, took Services to 194 for 7 in 76 overs. Seamer Shrikant Wagh took two wickets to finish off Services' first innings, giving him a four-wicket haul, and then took two early in Services' second attempt. Yashpal was helped by first Sarabjit Singh, who lasted 88 balls for his 20, and Muzzaffaruddin Khalid, who scored just 7 runs but lasted 80 balls and was involved in a 54-run partnership with Yashpal.