Punjab’s pacers run through Gujarat
Mohali, February 9
Punjab’s pacers Siddarth Kaul and Arshdeep Singh grabbed three wickets apiece to restrict Gujarat to 250/8 on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy Group C match here today.
Opting to field, it took a while for Punjab to make inroads but once they did, the wickets kept falling at regular intervals.
The opening pair of Priyank Panchal (77) and Aditya Patel (58) were the main threats as they combined for a 145-run stand before Siddarth cleaned up the latter. Thereon, the visitors kept losing wickets and ended the day on a shaky note.
In Chandigarh, skipper Manan Vohra’s 134 acted as a cover in an otherwise toiling day for the hosts against Tripura. Chandigarh finished the day on 282/6, and for the visitors, Manisankar Murasingh grabbed two wickets.
Padikkal going strong
Chennai: Opener Devdutt Padikkal continued his red-hot form, slamming an unbeaten 151, his third hundred this season, as Karnataka reached 288/5 on the opening day of their Group C match against Tamil Nadu.
Electing to bat, the visitors lost skipper Mayank Agarwal (20) early, with just 35 runs on the board.
Padikkal then joined forces with opener Ravikumar Samarth (57), constructing a 132-run partnership for the second wicket, and took their side to a position of strength.
Delhi take fight to HP
Dharamsala: Skipper Himmat Singh made a quick-fire 60 off 53 balls before the tail wagged to take Delhi to 264 all out against Himachal Pradesh on Day 1 of their Group D game.
Pacer Vinay Galetiya took a five-wicket haul on a helping pitch and his new ball partner Vaibhav Arora struck thrice.
Pujara scores another ton
Jaipur: Veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara slammed his second hundred, guiding Saurashtra to a comfortable 242/4 against Rajasthan on the opening day of their Group A match. The 36-year-old hit nine shots to the fence during his 230-ball 110. It was his 62nd hundred in First-Class cricket. Pujara had scored a double hundred (243 not out) last month.
Brief scores: Gujarat: 250/8 (Panchal 77, Aditya 58; Kaul 3/64; Arshdeep 3/72) vs Punjab; Chandigarh: 282/6 (Manan 134; Murasingh 2/42) vs Tripura; Karnataka: 288/5 (Padikkal 151*; Sai Kishore 3/94) vs Tamil Nadu; Delhi: 264 all out (Himmat 60; Badoni 51; Galetiya 5/66) vs HP; Saurashtra: 242/4 (Pujara 110; Ajay 2/86) vs Rajasthan; Haryana: 338/6 (Ankit 109; Roy 2/59, Utkarsh 2/60) vs Jharkhand.
