Shreyas Iyer shreds jetlag with bruising 178

Shreyas Iyer shreds jetlag in style

Less than 24 hours after landing from New Zealand, Shreyas Iyer showed what Mumbai missed for the first half of a dismal campaign - they're at the bottom of Group A, with only Chhattisgarh below them. Iyer struck his 12th first-class century - a bruising 139-ball 178 - courtesy 17 fours and 11 sixes against Baroda at Wankhede Stadium. His 283-run third-wicket stand with Siddesh Lad, the captain, came off just 271 balls. Mumbai blasted 439 for 8 by stumps. Lad helped himself to a slightly mellow, but no-less effective 130.

Among those made to toil was Hardik Pandya. Returning to top-flight cricket for the first time since injuring his lower back at the Asia Cup in September, Pandya, given the new ball, removed openers Aditya Tare and Vikrant Auti in his first spell. He returned later in the day to dismiss the dangerous Shivam Dube. In all, his figures read a respectable 15-0-74-3.

What about the other India A boys?

India A's highest run-getter during the 3-0 one-day series win in New Zealand, Vijay Shankar's journey to Mohali was more eventful. His route read something like this: Mount Maunganui-Auckland-Singapore-Mumbai-Delhi and then a six-hour road trip to Chandigarh. This meant he reached the venue close to midnight on Thursday and was amid the thick of things in the second session, reviving a floundering Tamil Nadu innings. Walking in at 73 for 4, he struck a 122-ball 71 to take them to 213 for 9 at stumps against Punjab. Vijay was the seventh batsman dismissed, after which TN lost two more.

Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, struck a counter-attacking 42-ball 54 to put Jharkhand back on track after they were reduced to 59 for 4 in the first session by a fired up Uttar Pradesh attack. That they finished at a relatively strong 278 for 6 was courtesy Kishan's Jharkhand mentor and senior batsman Ishank Jaggi, who was 76 not out at stumps. Jaggi battled for 176 deliveries, hitting eight fours. His unbroken seventh-wicket stand with Shahbaz Nadeem, who was also with India A for the four-day fixtures in New Zealand not too long ago, was worth 121. Nadeem was unbeaten on 70, possibly eyeing a maiden first-class century on Saturday.

Panchal's form continues, Milind breaches 1000 barrier

Leading Gujarat, champions of 2016-17 in Parthiv Patel's absence, opener Priyank Panchal struck his eighth score of fifty or more this season - he's converted three of those into hundreds - but Gujarat failed to capitalise. Smarting from a defeat to Saurashtra on a rank turner, Karnataka roared back to dismiss Gujarat for 216, and finished on 45 for the loss of Mayank Agarwal and D Nischal in reply.

Panchal's 741 runs, including Friday's 74, is the most by a batsman from the Elite group so far. Overall, it's second-best to Milind Kumar's 1017. The Delhi-based Sikkim professional breached the 1000-run barrier during the course of his fourth century of the season - two of those have been double tons. He struck 139 to put Sikkim in a commanding position at 321 for 9 against Mizoram in the Plate Group where bowlers dominated proceedings elsewhere.

There also seems to be no stopping Deepak Dhapola, the Uttarakhand fast bowler, who picked up his sixth five-wicket haul of the season to take his wicket tally to 42 in his sixth game, the most in the season so far. It helped bowl Nagaland out for 207, before Uttarakhand finished on 73 for 2. With five wins in five matches, they're all but through to the knockouts.

Meanwhile in Goalpara, as many as 22 wickets fell on a manic day where Puducherry took control despite being shot out for 136 in the first innings. Fabid Ahmed picked 6 for 29 to shoot Arunachal out for 82. At stumps, Puducherry lost two more in the second innings, but had extended their lead to 82.