Ranji Trophy Group B: Delhi eye 6 points after Shorey ton; Mukund, Ojha hit hundreds

Ranji trophy Day 3, Group B Round-up

Delhi vs Himachal Pradesh at New Delhi

Dhruv Shorey's fourth first-class century put Delhi firmly in sight of an outright victory against Himachal Pradesh in an opening round group B Ranji Trophy encounter on Wednesday.

Shorey scored his fourth first-class hundred -- 106 not out off 177 balls as Delhi declared their second innings at 281 for 4, leaving HP with a stiff target of 376.

Earlier, Delhi dismissed HP for 223 in their first innings taking a first innings lead of 94 runs and also ensuring at least three points.

At stumps on the third day, Himachal were 44 for 1 with their best bet Prashant Chopra being dismissed by Ishant Sharma (1/14 in 5 overs).

With 332 needed on the final day, it will be more about how Himachal survive against left-arm spin duo of Vikas Mishra and Varun Sood on a fourth day track with considerable wear and tear.

Brief Scores

Delhi 317 and 281/4 decl (Dhruv Shorey 106 no, Gautam Gambhir 49). Himachal Pradesh 223 and (target 376) 44/1 (Ishant Sharma 1/14 in 5 overs).

 

TN vs Hyderabad at Tirunelveli

Test discard Abhinav Mukund led Tamil Nadu's riposte to Hyderabad's massive first innings total of 565 for 8 declared with a superb ton (101 batting) as the host reached 163 for 2 at stumps on day three of the Ranji Trophy match at Tirunelveli.

Hyderabad skipper P Akshath Reddy could add only two runs to his overnight score of 248 and the team declared at 565 after C V Milind (33 not out) and Mehdi Hasan (14 not out) put on 27 runs for the ninth wicket.

M Mohammed was the best bowler for Tamil Nadu, picking up 3 for 102 while K Vignesh and Rahil Shah scalped two each.

Brief scores: Hyderabad 565 for 8 in 186 overs (Akshath Reddy 250, B Sandeep 130, M Mohammed 3 for 102, K Vignesh 2 for 102) vs Tamil Nadu 163 for 2 in 79 overs (Abhinav Mukund 101 batting, C V Milind 2 for 19).

 

Bengal vs Madhya Pradesh at Kolkata

Skipper Naman Ojha cracked a patient half-century with Madhya Pradesh making a strong reply against Bengal in their Ranji Trophy encounter in Kolkata.

Ojha held their innings together with his 151-ball 74 before getting out to part-time leg-spinner Anustup Majumdar, who took two wickets in two overs (2/20) to raise hopes of another three points.

At close on the penultimate day, MP were 254/5, trailing Bengal by 256 runs. Yash Dubey (20*) and Ankit Sharma (9*) were at the crease.

Earlier Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda (2/42) dismissed both the MP openers, Aryaman Birla (12) and Ankit Dane (38), as MP were 65/2 inside the first hour's play.

But Ojha stayed on, stitching two fifty-plus partnerships with Rajat Patidar (49) and Shubham Sharma (45) in the first and second sessions respectively.

Brief Scores

Bengal 510 for 9 declared in 149.3 overs (Manoj Tiwary 201 not out, Koushik Ghosh 100, A R Easwran 86, Shubham Sharma 5 for 59) vs Madhya Pradesh 254 for 5 in 86 overs (Naman Ojha 74, Rajat Patidar 49, Anustup Majumdar 2 for 20).

           

Andhra Pradesh vs Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram

Brief Scores: Andhra Pradesh 254 in 99.4 overs (Ricky Bhui 109, Shiv Charan Singh 45, Akshay KC 4 for 64) and 102 for 8 in 46 overs (Jalaj Saxena 7 for 44) vs Kerala 328 all out in 119.2 overs (Jalaj Saxena 133, K B Arun Karthick 56, Rohan Prem 49, Manish Golamaru 3 for 81, Shoaib Mohamed 3 for 89).