Ranji Trophy: Suryakumar Yadav leads from the front

Karthik leads Tamil Nadu recovery

Bengal bowlers once again frittered away the advantage as Dinesh Karthik’s swift counterattacking knock saw Tamil Nadu finish first day’s play at 208 for five in a Ranji Trophy match at the Eden Gardens on Monday.

Pace spearhead Ashok Dinda (3/68) again produced a lion-hearted effort but lacked support from fellow pacers Sourav Sarkar (1/48) and rookie Pritam Chakraborty (0/33).

After Laxmi Ratan Shukla opted to field, Tamil Nadu were reduced to 91 for four but the visitors rode on Karthik’s 92 off 131 balls to get their innings back on track.

By the time he missed out on a well-deserved century by eight runs edging one from Dinda to Shreevats Goswami behind the stumps, he had somewhat scripted a recovery act with a 105-run fifth wicket stand with Ramaswamy Prasanna (35 batting).

At stumps, Rajagopal Sathish (10 batting) was at the crease with Prasanna on a curtailed day with only 66 overs possible due to wet outfield.

Brief Scores: Tamil Nadu 208/5 in 66 overs (Dinesh Karthik 92, R Prasanna 35 batting; Ashok Dinda 3/68) vs Bengal.

Karnataka 123/5 in reply to J&K’s 160

Karnataka were 123 for five in their first innings in reply to Jammu and Kahsmir’s 160 all out on the opening day of a Group A Ranji Trophy cricket match in Hubli on Monday.

Karnataka’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid rich dividends as they bundled out the visitors in 52.1 overs with skipper R Vinay Kumar registering best figures four for 37 runs.

All-rounder Stuart Binny (3/37) and Abhimanyu Mithun (2/23) gave Vinay Kumar the perfect support from the other end sharing five wickets between them.

For Jammu and Kashmir, captain Parvez Rasool top-scored with a 38-ball 39 during which he hit eight boundaries, while Ian Dev Singh made 31 off 73 deliveries.

In reply, Karnataka witnessed a horrible start to their innings as they lost openers Karun Nair (2) and Mayank Agarwal (3) early.

But Kumal Kapoor (23) and Manish Pandey (33) stabilised the innings with a 53-run third wicket stand before both perished in quick succession.

Karnataka suffered another blow in the form of Binny (1) soon but experienced Robin Uthappa (37 not out) and wicket-keeper CM Gautam ensured there was no further damage for the hosts, who still trail Jammu and Kashmir by 37 runs in the first innings.

Right-arm medium pacer Mohammed Mudhasir (3/29) was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors, while Ram Dayal scalped two wickets giving away 17 runs.

Brief Scores: Jammu and Kashmir 1st innings: 160 all out in 52.1 overs (Parvez Rasool 39, Ian Dev Singh 31; R Vinay Kumar 4/37). Karnataka 1st innings: 123 for five in 30 overs (Robin Uthappa 37 not out, Manish Pandey 33; Mohammed Mudhasir 3/29).

Devdhar’s ton propels Baroda to 316/6 against UP 

Kedar Devdhar struck a career-best 146 to propel Baroda to 316 for six against Uttar Pradesh on the opening day of a Group A Ranji Trophy match.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, Devdhar and his opening partner Saurabh Wakaskar (63) shared 145 runs between them in 39.3 overs to ensure a solid start for the visiting team.

Devdhar, whose best score was 122 before today’s knock, made his third first-class century off 216 balls with the help of 22 boundaries, while Wakaskar’s fifty came off 126 balls during which he struck eight fours and one six.

Skipper Aditya Waghmode also made a notable contribution of 53 off 108 balls before he being run out.

But after the departure of the trio, Baroda witnessed some sort of a batting collapse as Ambati Rayudu (8), Yusuf Pathan (1) and Deepak Hooda (10) all departed in quick succession.

At stumps, Irfan Pathan was not out on 15 while giving him company was wicket-keeper Pinal Shah on 5.

For UP, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla picked up three wickets giving away 100 runs.

Brief Scores: Baroda 1st innings: 316 for six in 90 overs (Kedhar Devdhar 146, Saurabh Wakaskar 63; Piyush Chawla 3/100).