Madhya Pradesh hold on for exciting draw

With only one wicket remaining, Madhya Pradesh batsmen pulled off an exciting draw against Railways in their Ranji Trophy league match at Indore on Sunday.

Railways, declaring at 291/7, reached its second-innings total due to some fine batting from its top three batsmen. Jai P Yadav (92), Amit Pagnis (70) and Yere Goud (50) all scored fifties, with Goud remaining unbeaten till the end of the innings. A brief middle-order collapse was brushed aside as S Raza Ali also contributed lower down the order with 40 off 51 balls.

Set a target of 514, Madhya Pradesh had no option but to play for a draw. This too looked doubtful as wickets collapsed in a heap at the top of the order. KS Parida, the first-innings hero, took three more wickets here, but skipper Sulakshan Kulkarni batted bravely (30*) with the tail to ensure a draw for his side.

Railways, by virtue of their first-innings total, pick up five points from this tie, while Madhya Pradesh pick up three.