A round-up of the fourth day’s play of the second-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2008-09
Cricinfo staff13-Nov-2008
Mohammad Kaif scored a vital 45 not out as Uttar Pradesh held on to three points in Vadodara © Cricinfo Ltd
Scorecard
Saurashtra were made to fight till the end for their win in Rajkot, a comprehensive innings-and-84-run rout of Orissa. After piling up 620 for 4, Saurashtra patiently pegged away at the wickets, taking ten wickets each on the final two days to gain six points.Battling for a draw was Orissa’s only option, who began the day trailing by 314 runs with ten second-innings wickets in hand. Bikas Pati and Shiv Sunder Das, the Orissa captain, were involved in a 67-run stand for the second time in the game. Pati, the first to fall, scored 44 off 49 in the stand, while Das was run out for half of Pati’s score. Niranjan Behera and Halhadar Das were the only other batsmen to go past 20, and Orissa’s second innings lasted 85.1 overs – they played 101.4 in the first. The final wicket gave Ravindra Jadeja, whose 232 not out was his maiden first-class ton, his career-best figures.
Scorecard
Uttar Pradesh were lucky to gain three points from the Group B match in Vadodara. Chasing 264, UP had slipped to 97 for 6, but captain Mohammad Kaif, batting low at No. 7, and wicketkeeper Amir Khan played out 30.5 overs to ensure a draw.UP gained three points by virtue of their first-innings lead, and have six points from two games, the same as group leaders Punjab. Twelve wickets fell on the final day. Baroda, resuming on 239 for 4, lost their final six wickets in 22.4 overs. For the second time in the match, Rakesh Solanki fell for 71.UP were faced with a target of 264, but lost Tanmay Srivastava, their top scorer in the first innings, in the third over. With a run-rate around four needed, UP chose to play it safe, but they found themselves in trouble at 67 for 4 after 21.4 overs. Medium-pacer Salim Veragi struck twice, and the two Irfan Pathans took one apiece. Tahir Abbas and Piyush Chawla put on 30, but the two fell in the space of five deliveries. Kaif, though, played a steady hand, scoring 45, and at the other hand, Amir Khan saw off 90 deliveries for an unbeaten 7.
Scorecard
Hyderabad had secured the first-innings lead, and they batted out 75 overs on the final day to secure their three points. Beginning the day on 31 for 0, Hyderabad’s openers managed a century stand. T Suman was the first to fall, lbw for 52, and Mithun Manhas struck two further blows. There were no more successes for Delhi, with opener Ravi Teja scoring a century. He added an unbroken 115 with captain Arjun Yadav, who chipped in with 54.
Scorecard
It was a dull day in Nasik, with Andhra, having conceded the first-innings lead, batting out nearly the whole day with the chance of winning the game remote. Resuming on 2 for 0, Andhra played out 80 overs before declaring, setting Maharashtra an improbable 166 from the remaining overs in the day.Hemal Watekar, the first-innings centurion, fell cheaply, but partnerships of 78, 42 and 56 for the second, third and fifth wickets made sure there was no collapse. LNP Reddy and B Sumanth made half-centuries, while legspinner Digambar Waghmare took 2 for 33 off his 18 overs. Maharashtra’s first-innings centurion, Harshad Khadiwale, also failed as his team reached 27 for 1 in eight overs.
ScorecardHaving been bowled out cheaply in the first innings, the Karnataka batsmen applied themselves better and hung on for one point from their Group B match against Tamil Nadu. The empty stands and the general relaxed atmosphere that comes with a Ranji match took away from the tense middle session during which Karnataka lost KB Pawan and Robin Uthappa in quick succession. The fire and ice combination of C Raghu, who played his second solid innings of the match, and rookie Manish Pandey, who got a quick half-century, saw Karnataka to what eventually was a comfortable draw. The teams decided to call the match off with 11 mandatory overs to go. (Read the full report.)