Mulapadu, Oct 14 Andhra, Saurashtra and Punjab secured three points each after earning first-innings leads in their respective drawn Ranji Trophy Elite Group B matches on Wednesday, while eight-time champions Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Assam had to settle for one point each.
Hosts Andhra dominated their contest against last season’s runners-up Karnataka after taking a substantial 144-run first-innings lead, despite an unbeaten 155 by Karun Nair in the visitors’ second essay.
Andhra had posted 418 in reply to Karnataka’s 274 in the first innings, putting themselves in a commanding position.
Nair struck 16 fours and two sixes to hold one end together, but Karnataka could not build a sufficiently large lead to put the hosts under pressure.
Resuming at 176 for four with an overall lead of 32 runs, Karnataka eventually declared at 337 for nine in 103 overs, setting Andhra a target of 194 runs.
Karnataka made early inroads, reducing Andhra to 43 for four, but SV Rahul (35 not out) and Revanth Reddy (20 not out) ensured the hosts remained unbeaten for the rest of the match. Andhra were 104 for four in 44 overs when the game was drawn.
India batter KL Rahul endured twin failures, scoring one and four in the two innings.
At the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, hosts Saurashtra played out a draw against Chhattisgarh to secure three points after taking an 80-run first-innings lead.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was adjudged Player of the Match for his 102 off 209 balls, including seven fours, in Saurashtra’s first-innings total of 392.
Saurashtra bowled Chhattisgarh out for 312 and strengthened their position in the second innings, reaching 229 for one in 67 overs when the match was drawn, with an overall lead of 309 runs.
Harvik Desai scored 68, while Chirag Jani remained unbeaten on 127.
In Mullanpur, Punjab secured three points while Assam had to settle for one after their season opener ended in a draw, with the hosts taking a first-innings lead.
Assam, who had scored 373 in their first innings, conceded a lead of 105 runs as Punjab declared at 478 for six.
In their second innings, Assam reached 157 for six in 61 overs when the match was drawn. Denish Das top-scored with 45, while Umesh Yadav and Harpreet Brar claimed two wickets each for Punjab.
Earlier, Hyderabad had registered a dominant innings-and-40-run victory over Tripura on the third day of the opening round, moving to the top of the Group B points table.
Brief scores:
In Mulapadu: Karnataka 274 and 337/9 declared in 103 overs (Karun Nair 155 not out; Lalith Mohan 5/118) drew with Andhra 418 and 104/4 in 44 overs (SV Rahul 35 not out; Shikhar Shetty 2/32). Points: Andhra 3, Karnataka 1.
In Rajkot: Saurashtra 392 and 229/1 in 67 overs (Harvik Desai 68, Chirag Jani 127 not out; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 1/44) drew with Chhattisgarh 312 in 121.5 overs (Mayank Verma 68; Ankur Panwar 2/42). Points: Saurashtra 3, Chhattisgarh 1.
In Mullanpur (Ground A): Assam 373 and 157/6 in 61 overs (Denish Das 45; Umesh Yadav 2/11, Harpreet Brar 2/44) drew with Punjab 478/6 declared. Points: Punjab 3, Assam 1.
(PTI News)
