Timely 91 helps stabilize team after a going down 44/3
Out of the four Ranji matches, if one player shone the most, it had to be the 17-year-old debutant Avneesh Sudha. The batsman hit a composed 91 under pressure after Uttarakhand lost Vineet Saxena (5), Karn Veer Kaushal (31) and Vaibhav Bhatt (5) in quick succession.
What a debut for the 17-year old Avneesh Sudha!
Scores 91 for a plate team against the defending champions in the background of Umesh picking 4 wickets…#RanjiTrophy
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) January 16, 2019
With the team wobbling at 44/3, it was the youngster who steadied the ship, thus justifying his call-up.
The innings set a solid foundation for the Himalayan state, with Vaibhav Singh (67) and Saurabh Rawat (68*) then hitting their own half centuries to help their team post a respectable total of 293/6.
Dehradun’s Sudha first came in selector’s view after slamming a triple century and a double hundred in the U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy recently to post an incredible 883 runs from 7 games at an average of 126.
Luck shone for the youngster when Uttarakhand batsman Rajat Bhatia got injured and coach Bhaskar Pillai decided to go with Sudha.
-- Advertisement --Uttar Pradesh start strongly
Riding on a brilliant 150 by Rinku Singh, Uttar Pradesh posted a competitive total of 385 against Saurashtra on the first day of the 2nd Ranji Trophy quarter-final. Although the openers and the middle order underperformed, it was Singh, along with the tail-enders Saurabh Kumar (55) and Shivam Mavi (42), who ensured UP started strongly.
On the bowling side, skipper Jaydev Unadkat and D Jadeja were the only bright spots as they posted figures 5/86 and 3/111.
Uttar Pradesh vs Saurashtra – UP ALL OUT for 385 runs in the First Innings.
Rinku Singh – 150
Saurabh Kumar – 55
Priyam Garg – 49 #RanjiTrophy #SAUvUP— UPCA (@UPCACricket) January 16, 2019
Karnataka vs Rajasthan in for a thrilling contest
Asked to bat first, Rajasthan started off steadily with a score of 62/1. But then a slew of wickets saw them reduced to 111/5. Coming in at six down, Rajesh Bishnoi chipped in a vital 79 to help his team finish with a total of 224.
Karnataka faced a similar fate, with some quick wickets at the hands of TM-Ulhaq saw them reduced to 115/4. With four more days to go, this will make for a thrilling even contest.
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Gujarat in Trouble
Having bowled Kerala for a paltry 185, Gujarat seemed to be in the driver’ seat with Chintan Gaja (4-57) and (3-50) being the stars. However, the south Indian state replied with a superior bowling attack of its own, decimating Gujarat for 162 for 10. It was the trio of Sandeep Warrier (4/42), MD Nidheesh (3/38) and Basil Thampi (3/61) who shared the spoils.
However, with Kerala having already lost 2 wickets for 16 in the third innings (openers Ponnam Rahul (10) and Mohammad Azharuddin (0)), the contest looks to reach the conclusion sooner than others.
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