Ranji Trophy 2022-23 semi-finals Day 1: Gharami, Majumdar hit tons as Bengal post 307/4 vs Madhya Pradesh

Sudip Kumar Gharami and Anustup Majumdar struck fine hundreds as Bengal posted an impressive 307/4 on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 first semi-final against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Wednesday, February 8.

Bengal opted to bat after winning the toss, after which Gharami and Majumdar dominated the proceedings. The duo added 241 runs for the third wicket, keeping the Madhya Pradesh bowling attack at bay. Gharami struck 12 fours and two sixes in his 112 off 213 balls, while Majumdar hit 13 fours and a six in his 206-ball 120.

The terrific stand was broken when Majumdar was bowled by Madhya Pradesh pacer Avesh Khan (1/79). As often happens after a huge partnership in cricket, one set batter follows the other. Gharami also followed Majumdar to the dressing room as he was trapped lbw by Anubhav Agarwal (2/21) in the 84th over of Bengal’s innings.

Earlier, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karan Lal added 51 runs for the opening wicket for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 semi-final clash. However, both batters fell after getting starts.

Karan Lal was bowled by Agarwal for 23 off 45 balls, while Easwaran was cleaned up by Gaurav Yadav (1/37) for 27 off 33 deliveries. Easwaran struck five fours and was looking good for a big score when he was dismissed.

At stumps on Day 1 of the first Ranji Trophy 2022-23 semi-final, Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary was unbeaten on five off 14 balls, and Shahbaz Ahmed on six off 11 balls.

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Mayank Agarwal's century leads Karntaka’s charge in Ranji Trophy 2022-23 second semi-final vs Saurashtra

In the second semi-final of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal struck an unbeaten hundred to guide his team to a decent position against Saurashtra.

Saurashtra won the toss and opted to field first in the knockout clash. Their bowlers came up with an impressive display to reduce Karnataka to 112/5 by the 41st over. Kushang Patel (2/62) dismissed Ravikumar Samarth (three) and Nikin Jose (18), while Chetan Sakariya (1/39) got the big scalp of Devdutt Padikkal (nine).

Manish Pandey (seven) and Shreyas Gopal (15) also failed to make any significant contributions. However, Agarwal (110* off 246 balls) and Srinivas Sharath (58* off 143 balls) lifted Karnataka, adding an unbroken 117 for the sixth wicket. While Karnataka captain Agarwal struck 11 fours and a six in his knock, Sharath hit four fours in his defiant half-century.

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Ranji Trophy 2022-23 semi-finals: Brief scores

1st semi-final: Bengal (307/4) vs Madhya Pradesh - Sudip Kumar Gharami 112, Anustup Majumdar 120; Anubhav Agarwal 2/21

2nd semi-final: Karnataka (229/5) vs Saurashtra - Mayank Agarwal 110*, Srinivas Sharath 58*; Kushang Patel 2/64