Ranji round 5, day 2: Shami impresses with four-for on comeback

Mohammed Shami's comeback. He bowled 19 overs and picked up four wickets for 54 as Bengal opened up a massive lead against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.

J&K v Tripura on a knife's edge.

Teenage sensation Ayush Mhatre hits second first-class ton to help Mumbai nudge ahead v Services

Mahipal Lomror converted his second straight first-class ton into a magnificent triple to stud Rajasthan's domination v Uttarakhand

Look forward to your company on day 3. You can find detailed scorecards here

17-year-old Mumbai opener Ayush Mhatre who on Wednesday earned a maiden call-up to the India Under-19 squad for the Asia Cup in UAE later this month has slammed his second first-class century in just his sixth game to lead Mumbai's reply against Services. They're 214/6 in response to Services' 245.

Talk about making the most of your opportunities. Mhatre has got an extended run because Prithvi Shaw finds himself in the cold. It'll be very tough for the selectors to keep Mhatre out whenever he's available.

Just last month, Vishal Dikshit traced Mhatre's journey to the Mumbai team.

KL Shrijith is the latest in what has become a roulette of sorts for the wicketkeeper's position at Karnataka.

They've had BR Sharath, Sharath Srinivas and Sujay Sateri, all occupy the position at different times over the past few seasons. This game, the 28-year old Shrijith came in for Sateri with Karnataka seemingly keen on shoring up their batting.

And Shrijith has risen to the occasion to give Karnataka a great chance of recording their second win that will keep them in playoff contention. The stylish left-hander brought up his century off just 125 balls. In all, he hit 12 boundaries.

Karnataka have opened up a 186-run lead and will hope to get full points from this match with plenty of time remaining.

Daya Sagar from Kotla: "In 2024, Jharkhand’s wicketkeeper batter Kumar Kushagra was bought by Delhi Capitals for INR 7.2 crores but with Abishek Porel cementing himself as the No. 1 wicketkeeper, he managed to feature in just four games. Now with Porel retained, Kushagra will be looking for another team where he can get a good run.

"Could Gujarat Titans be that team? Their regular wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha and Matthew Wade have retired and they haven't retained a keeper. Their scouts present at Kotla - former India fast bowler Amit Bhandari and head analyst Sandeep Raju - are keenly watching.

"In the Ranji match against Delhi where all the Jharkhand’s batters went into their shell, Kushagra has been different. He played some beautiful cover drives and imperious pulls off Simarjeet Singh and has brought up his fifth first-class fifty at a strike rate of 65."

Jharkhand 271/6 v Delhi

We have our first outright result of round five, with Baroda thrashing Meghalaya in just four sessions to secure a bonus-point win. It's their fourth win in five games, and they're in prime position to take one of the two quarterfinals spot from this group.

If Mahesh Pithiya, the off spinner, picked up six wickets in the first innings, it was left-arm spinner Ninad Rathva's turn to inflict damage in the second innings with a six-for.

Baroda's dominance effectively means the likes of Jammu & Kashmir and Mumbai - who look best placed as compared to the rest of the pack - will fight for the second spot. But cricket is a momentum game. The first-class season takes a two-month break now for the white-ball leg. Can Baroda sustain this run? A slight trip-up and they know it could all slip away very quickly.

Stats wiz Sampath Bandarupalli says the previous highest partnership in Ranji Trophy history was 594* by Swapnil Gugale and Ankit Bawne for Maharashtra vs Delhi in 2016-17.

Interestingly, the only other occasion in Ranji history where we've had two triple hundreds in the same innings came way back in 1989-90 when WV Raman and AG Kripal Singh slammed triple hundreds for TN v Goa.

From 106/1, Madhya Pradesh have collapsed to 167 all out with Mohammed Shami, who went wicketless in his 10 overs yesterday, finishing with 4 for 54 in 19 overs.

Mohammed Shami got into the act very early on day 2, removing MP captain Shubham Sharma and then dismissing allrounder Saransh Jain to entertain the possibility of a sizable lead after Bengal were bowled out for 228. It turns out Shami needed only two more overs to nip out the last two batters.

In January 2021, he was the toast of the nation following his heroics at the Gabba. His 'Lord Shardul' monicker became popular, not just on social media but even within the team. But nearly four years on, Shard's back on the long road to redemption after missing out on Test selection for Australia, with the selectors and team management preferring the younger Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Shardul is himself working his way back from a foot injury that required surgery in June. He last played for India on the tour of South Africa late last year, and had a modest IPL 2024, picking up five wickets in nine games for Chennai Super Kings.

Asked of his non-selection, Gautam Gambhir, the India coach, touched upon the need to "move on." Shardul will hope to prove his detractors wrong by taking Mumbai to the Ranji knockouts and beyond.

At the Palam Grounds, Shardul has finished with figures of 4 for 46 as Mumbai have bowled Services out for 240. Shardul accounted for the two big wickets of Rajat Paliwal, the captain, and Pulkit Narang.

The morning continues to get better for Bengal. After Suraj Jaiswal's twin strikes, Shami gets into the act by having Shubham Sharma, the Madhya Pradesh captain, clean bowled for 8 to leave them 123 for 4. Shami has bowled six overs in his first spell this morning, and his figures so far read 16-2-53-1.

Suraj Jaiswal, the fast bowler, has struck twice in the first 10 minutes of play to remove both overnight MP batters: Senapati & Patidar as Bengal make inroads. From an overnight 103/1, MP are 118/3 and in need of a rebuild, in response to Bengal's 228. Shubham Sharma, the captain, and Harpreet Bhatia are at the crease.

Jaiswal is playing only because Bengal are without their A-list fast bowlers - Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep. Last week against Karnataka in Bengaluru, he picked up three wickets in each innings. His strikes, especially in the first innings, of Mayank Agarwal and prodigy R Smaran, played a massive part in Bengal taking a sizable first-innings lead.

Jaiswal, 24, is only nine first-class matches old in which he has already picked up 39 wickets. He'll relish this opportunity to bowl and learn alongside Mohammed Shami.