Ranji Trophy: Punjab turn on battering mode
New Delhi, February 18
Punjab openers Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek Sharma put on a blazing display to help their side take a 39-run lead after Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group F match against Himachal Pradesh.
Prabhsimran scored a 138-ball 123, with 21 fours and 1 six, while Sharma missed out on a ton by two runs. The skipper was dismissed for 98, having smashed 9 fours and 5 sixes in his 101-ball innings.
Mandeep Singh was unbeaten on 62 off 124 balls, partnered by wicketkeeper Anmol Malhotra (23 not out off 53). Anmolpreet Singh (36 off 42) and Gurkeerat Mann (46 off 35) also scored quick runs as Punjab ended the day at 393/4 in 82 overs.
Earlier, Punjab took the last four Himachal Pradesh wickets for just 30 runs to bowl them out for 354.
U-19 star Sindhu misses ton
India’s U-19 World Cup winner Nishant Sindhu missed his hundred by seven runs on debut as Haryana scored 556 against Tripura in their Group F encounter.
Starting the day at 327/4, Kapil Hooda (84) and Yashu Sharma (101) ended their 162-run stand for the fifth wicket when the former was dismissed. All-rounder Sindhu did well to bat with the tail-enders as he added 73 runs for the 10th wicket with No. 11 Tinu Kundu. Sindhu smashed 10 fours and a six in his 130-ball innings. At stumps on the second day, Tripura were 56/1 in reply.
Yadav’s special hundred
Lalit Yadav hammered 10 sixes and 17 fours in his maiden First-Class hundred and batted brilliantly with the tail to put Delhi in a strong position against Tamil Nadu after Day 2 of their Group H match in Guwahati. Resuming the day at 291/7, Delhi reached 452 all out courtesy Yadav’s 177 off 287 balls. In reply, Tamil Nadu were 75/2.
Sarfaraz on fire
Young Sarfaraz Khan hit a stroke-filled 275 to propel Mumbai to a mammoth 544/7 on the second day of their Elite Group D game against holders Saurashtra.
Gani makes history
Sakibul Gani made history as he became the first player to score a triple century on First-Class debut. He scored 341 runs off 405 as Bihar declared their innings at 686/5. In reply, Mizoram were 40/3.
Brief scores: Himachal Pradesh: 354 (Kalsi 88, Vashisht 87; Baltej 5/61, Markande 2/68) vs Punjab 393/4 (Prabhsimran 123, Sharma 98); Haryana: 556 (Sharma 129, Sindhu 93) vs Tripura: 56/1; Delhi: 452 (Yadav 177, Dhull 113) vs Tamil Nadu: 75/2; Mumbai 544/7 (Khan 275, Rahane 129; Jani 2/83) vs Saurashtra 18/0; Hyderabad 347: (Vihari 59; Singh 4/80); Chandigarh: 200/6; (Vohra 110; Raddi 4/55). –
