Punjab register big win against Railways; Assam force a draw against Karnataka - Ranji Trophy Day 4 Roundup

Defending Champions Karnataka settle for a draw.

Yuvraj Singh-led Punjab opened their Ranji Trophy campaign on a winning note by comprehensively beating Railways by an innings and 126 runs in their Group B match played in Mohali. The hosts, batting first, had declared their first innings at 604-5, with India ‘A’ star Gurkeerat Singh Mann scoring a double ton, followed by centuries by Uday Kaul, Mandeep Singh, and Gitansh Khera.

Railways in reply were bowled out for just 196 in the first innings with Brainder Sran picking up 6 wickets for the hosts. The result of the match was never in doubt after that, with Railways being asked to follow on, and could only manage 282 in their second innings to hand Punjab a well-deserved win. Varun Khanna picked up a career best 8-wicket haul for Punjab in the second innings to completely shut Railways out of the game and earn his team a bonus point.

Meanwhile in the Group A match in Guwahati, Assam fought back well and forced a draw against defending champions Karnataka. Chasing a mammoth target of 388, Assam finished the day at 259-5 before a draw was agreed by both captains. Resuming on their overnight score of 30-1, Assam were in trouble at one stage at 40-3.

Arun Karthik and Gokul Sharma, however, stitched up a 132-run partnership which brought the hosts back in the game and erased all hopes of a Karnataka win. In the process, Assam gained 3 useful points by virtue of their first innings lead, and Karnataka had to settle for a solitary point.

In another Group B match, Andhra won 3 points, courtesy their first innings lead against Mumbai in their first match of the season, in Vizianagaram. Andhra were 176-3 in their second innings, leading Mumbai by 145 runs before the match was drawn. The hosts had earlier taken a slender first innings lead of 7 runs, after bowling out Mumbai for 237.

Vidarbha and Rajasthan have also opened their accounts with 3 points each, as a result of to their first innings lead against Odisha and Delhi respectively. Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra too had similar results, gaining 3 points in their drawn home games over Madhya Pradesh and Haryana respectively. Brief Scores:

Haryana 335; Maharashtra 570/6 in 150 overs.

Vidarbha 467; Odisha 274 & 230/6 in 105 overs

Delhi 138 & 437/9d; Rajasthan 240 & 186/3 (target: 336)

Uttar Pradesh 686/7d; Madhya Pradesh 528/7 (172 ov)