Report

Shreyas Iyer 153 lifts Mumbai

A round-up of the Ranji Trophy Group A matches played on December 28, 2014

Mumbai 306 for 4 (Shreyas 153, Nayar 65, Veer Pratap 2-79) v Bengal
Scorecard
Shreyas Iyer's maiden first-class ton powered Mumbai to a commanding 306 for 4 on the first day of their Ranji Trophy clash against Bengal in Kolkata. After being inserted, Mumbai lost their openers Aditya Tare (24) and Akhil Herwadkar (25) for twenties, but Shreyas and Abhishek Nayar counterattacked with a mammoth 176-run stand for the third wicket. Nayar contributed 65 during that partnership, with eight fours, but was trapped lbw in the 73rd over. Shreyas carried on, stroking a total of 16 fours and four sixes, to make 153 - his fourth 50-plus score for Mumbai from his last seven innings across formats. However, he was dismissed by Ashok Dinda towards the end of the day, leaving Suryakumar Yadav and Siddhesh Lad at the crease going into day two. Seventeen-year-old Sarfaraz Khan made his first-class debut in the match.
Tamil Nadu 144 for 4 (Abhinav 57, Indrajith 39*, Yadav 2-49) v Railways
Scorecard
Only 49 overs of play was possible in Chennai, with wickets at regular intervals hampering Tamil Nadu's progress against Railways. The hosts, opting to bat, lost Bharat Shankar early, but their other opener, Abhinav Mukund, muscled his way to a much-needed half-century, scoring 57. Abhinav and B Indrajith shared a fourth-wicket stand which yielded 70 runs, but just when it seemed like Tamil Nadu were about to pull away, Abhinav was caught behind by Mahesh Rawat off Ashish Yadav in the final over of the day. Yadav and Arnab Nandi picked up two wickets apiece. Tamil Nadu were 144 for 4 when stumps were called.
Baroda 291 for 6 (Wakaskar 94, Hooda 82, Datey 2-80) v Madhya Pradesh
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Fifties from Saurabh Wakaskar and Deepak Hooda powered Baroda to a promising 291 for 6 at stumps against Madhya Pradesh in Gwalior. Baroda, after being put in, lost Kedar Devdhar and Aditya Waghmode inside 16 overs, but Wakaskar and Ambati Rayudu (40) led a recovery with an 84-run partnership for the third wicket. Madhya Pradesh fought back with two quick wickets to reduce Baroda to 136 for 4, but two more big stands swung the advantage Baroda's way. First, Wakaskar and Hooda added 55 for the fifth wicket, and though Wakaskar eventually fell six runs short of a hundred, Hooda and Pinal Shah kept the score ticking with a sixth-wicket association which yielded 62 runs. Hooda was unbeaten on 82 when the day ended.
Uttar Pradesh 113 for 0 (Srivastava 56*, Verma 55*) v Jammu & Kashmir
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Uttar Pradesh made the most of the 29 overs of play possible on day one in Kanpur, as they compiled 113 for 0 against Jammu & Kashmir. UP's openers Tanmay Srivastava and Akash Verma both raised fifties, ensuring that the team were in a promising position going into the second day. Srivastava struck 10 fours during his 56 not out, while Verma's unbeaten 55 featured five fours and two sixes.