Ranji Trophy Round 4: Bowlers create impact on Day 1 

The fourth round matches of the 2018/19 Ranji Trophy tournament began on Wednesday. It was a great day for bowlers with Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram being bowled out cheaply.

Gambhir, who returned to the Delhi squad, failed as he was dismissed for 1 run.

Elite Group A

Chhattisgarh versus Vidarbha (Raipur)

Chhattisgarh took on defending champions Vidarbha. Chhattisgarh captain Harpreet Singh won the toss and decided to bat first. Chhattisgarh captain Harpreet Singh made 63 while Manoj Singh remained not out on 41.

Chhattisgarh 188 for 6 in 82 overs ( Harpreet Singh 63, Manoj Singh 41, Aditya Thakare 3/41, Lalit Yadav 2/49)

Karnataka versus Maharashtra (Mysore)

It was a great display of bowling by Karnataka dismissing Maharashtra for just 113 runs. Maharashtra captain Rahul Tripathi won the toss and decided to bat first. Gaikwad was the top scorer with only 39 runs. For Karnataka, Suchith took 4 wickets. In reply, Karnataka ended on 70 for 3.

Karnataka 70 for 3 in 40 overs ( Dega Nischal 32*, Nikit Dhumal 1/21, Anupam Sanklecha 1/23) trail Maharashtra 113 in 39.4 overs ( Gaikwad 39, Rohit Motwani 34, Suchith 4/26) by 43 runs.

Mumbai versus Gujarat (Mumbai)

Mumbai took on Gujarat at Wankedhe Stadium, Mumbai. Gujarat captain Priyank Panchal won the toss and decided to bowl first. After a great start by Gujarat bowlers reducing Mumbai to 74 for 5, Siddhesh Lad scored 62 and a brilliant century was hit by young Shivam Dubey. Matkar helped Mumbai score 297 runs in the first innings.

Mumbai 297 in 80.3 overs ( Shivam Dubey 110, Siddhesh Lad 62, Matkar 47, Nagwaswalla 5/78, Rush Kalaria 3/80)

Saurashtra versus Baroda (Rajkot)

Saurashtra captain Jaydev Shah won the toss and decided to bat first. After a horrible start, Saurashtra recovered to post 266 for 6 at end of Day 1.

Saurashtra 266 for 6 in 90 overs ( Aarpit Vasavada 120, Prerak Mankad 85, Atit Sheth 2/44)

Elite Group B

Delhi versus Punjab ( Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi)

Delhi captain Nitish Rana won the toss and decided to bat first. Siddarth Kaul broke the backbone of Delhi batting line-up, taking 6 for 32. Punjab bowled out Delhi for a paltry 107. Gambhir, who made a return to the Delhi squad, was dismissed for just 1 run. In reply, Punjab have taken the lead and ended Day 1 on 136 for 3. For Punjab, Yuvraj Singh is still at the crease on 16 runs.

Punjab 136 for 3 in 45 overs ( Mandeep Singh 54*, Jiwanjot Singh 39, Vikas Mishra 2/27) lead Delhi 107 in 42.5 overs ( Kunwar Bhaduri 27, Anuj Rawat 22, Siddarth Kaul 6/32) by 29 runs.

Hyderabad versus Himachal Pradesh (Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad)

Hyderabad captain Prashant Chopra won the toss and decided to bat first. The opening pair of Prashant Chopra and Khanduri added 178 runs before Hyderabad made a strong comeback.

Himachal Pradesh 231 for 4 in 90 overs (Prashant Chopra 110, Khanduri 59, Ravi Kiran 1/33)

Kerala versus Madhya Pradesh (Thiruvanathpuram)

It was an amazing bowling performance by Madhya Pradesh, bowling out Kerala for just 63 runs in the first innings. Kerala captain Sachin Baby won the toss and decided to bat first. Vishnu Vinod scored 16 and Akshay Chandran remained not out on 16. In reply, Madhya Pradesh have ended the first day in a strong position at 161 for 2.

Madhya Pradesh 161 for 2 in 53 overs ( Rajat Patidar 70*, Naman Ojha 53*, Jalaj Saxena 1/54) lead Kerala 63 in 35 overs ( Akshay Chandran 16*, Vishnu Vinod 16, Avesh Khan 4/8, Kuldeep Sen 3/17) by 98 runs.

Tamil Nadu versus Bengal (Chennai)

Tamil Nadu took on Bengal at M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Tamil Nadu captain Baba Indrajith won the toss and decided to bat first. Mukund (51), Baba Aparajith (81 not out) and Jagadeesan (39) helped Tamil Nadu post 218 for 7.

Tamil Nadu 218 for 7 in 90 overs (Baba Aparajith 81*, Mukund 51, Ishan Porel 3/29, Aamir Gani 2/66)

Elite Group C

Assam versus Haryana (Nehru Stadium, Guwahati)

Haryana captain Harshal Patel won the toss and decided to field first. After a decent start by Assam, Haryana bowlers made a good comeback. Assam ended Day 1 on 215 for 6.

Assam 215 for 6 in 90 overs (Gokul Sharma 51*, Sibsankar Roy 49, Jayant Yadav 2/37)

Odisha versus Tripura (DRIEMS Ground, Cuttack)

Like the previous match against Assam, Odisha captain Biplab Samantray won the toss and decided to field first. A great bowling performance by Odisha helped them bowl out Tripura for just 122 runs in the first innings. For Odisha, Suryakant Pradhan took 7 for 40. In reply, Odisha have ended the 1st day on 101 for 3.

Odisha 101 for 3 in 33 overs ( Senapati 36*, Dhuper 31, Murasingh 2/9) trail Tripura 122 in 43 overs ( Pratyush Singh 43, Suryakant Pradhan 7/40) by 21 runs.

Services versus Jammu and Kashmir (Palam A Stadium, Delhi)

The Jammu and Kashmir captain won the toss and decided to bat first. Only Shubham Khajuria scored 44 runs as Services bowled out Jammu and Kashmir for just 95 in the first innings. In reply, Services have ended on 131 for 3.

Services 131 for 3 in 53 overs (Anushul Gupta 59, Navneet Singh 58, Parveez Rasool 3/35) lead Jammu and Kashmir 95 in 31.5 overs ( Shubham Khajuria 44, Arun Bamal 5/13, Diwesh Pathania 4/30) by 36 runs.

Goa versus Jharkhand (Porvorim)

Goa captain Sagun Kamat won the toss and decided to bat first. It was a great batting performance by Goa to end Day 1 on 237 for 2.

Goa 237 for 2 in 90 overs (Amit Verma 131*, Amonkar 84*, Ajay Yadav 1/42)

Uttar Pradesh versus Rajasthan (Green Park Stadium, Kanpur)

The table toppers of Group C, Rajasthan took on Uttar Pradesh at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur. Uttar Pradesh captain Akashdeep Nath won the toss and decided to field first. Amitkumar Gautam 93, Bist 68 retired hurt ensured that Rajasthan ended first day on 221 for 5.

Rajasthan 221 for 5 in 84 overs (Amitkumar Gautam 93, Robin Bist 68 retired hurt, Ankit Rajpoot 4/31)

Plate Group

Arunachal Pradesh versus Uttarkhand (DN Singha Stadium, Goalpara)

The table topper of Plate Group, Uttarakhand continued their dominating form against Arunachal Pradesh. Uttarakhand captain Rajat Bhatia won the toss and decided to field first. A great bowling effort by Uttarakhand helped them bowl out Arunachal Pradesh for just 105. In reply, Uttarakhand have ended Day 1 on 176 for 3.

Uttarakhand 176 for 3 in 47 overs ( Kartik 99*, Vaibhav Singh 59, Techi Neri 1/19) lead Arunachal Pradesh 105 in 46 overs ( Kshitiz Sharma 57, Mayank Mishra 4/23, Sunny Kashyap 3/30) by 71 runs.

Bihar versus Sikkim (Moin UL Haq Stadium, Patna)

Bihar captain Babul Kumar won the toss and decided to bat first. From 115 for 7, Bihar ended the first day on 244 for 7.

Bihar 244 for 7 in 78.4 overs (Ashutosh Aman 63*, Vivek Mohan 77*, Bipul Sharma 3/61, Ishwar Chaudhary 3/61)

Manipur versus Meghalaya ( Jadavpur University Campus 2nd Ground, Kolkata)

Meghalaya captain Jason Lamere won the toss and decided to field first. A great bowling performance bowled Manipur out for just 211 runs in first innings. In reply, Meghalaya have ended on 82 for 1.

Meghalaya 82 for 1 in 25 overs ( Raj Biswa 47*, Kishan 1/26) trail Manipur 211 in 64.1 overs (Prafullomani Singh 64, Aditya Singania 4/42, Gurinder Singh 3/52) by 129 runs.

Puducherry versus Mizoram (Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground, Puducherry)

A brilliant bowling spell by Pankaj Singh, taking 7 wickets, bowled out Mizoram for just 92 runs. In reply, Puducherry ended the 1st day on 163 for 3.

Puducherry 163 for 3 in 33 overs ( Marimuthu 79*, Abdul Khadir 1/32) lead Mizoram 92 in 35.4 overs ( Lalremkima 25, Pankaj Singh 7/21) by 71 runs.