Report

Jharkhand and Kerala in dire straits

A round-up of the second day's play of the second round matches of the Ranji Plate League

Cricinfo staff
12-Nov-2008
Jharkhand 84 for 6 trail Haryana 500 (Saini 125, Sunny 127, Sumeet 82, Lavasa 51, Rao 4-108) by 416 runs
Scorecard
Haryana's fast bowlers followed up their batsmen's efforts to give their side complete control of the match against Jharkhand on the second day. Sunny Singh added only one to his overnight score before being dismissed for 127 but Haryana amassed 500 with the help of a brisk 82 from Sumeet Sharma and a half-century from No. 9 Abir Lavasa. In reply, Jharkhand crumbled to 84 for 6 with new-ball bowler Sachin Rana taking three wickets. With two days remaining, Jharkhand are facing an uphill battle to stave off an innings defeat.
Jammu and Kashmir 171 for 6 (Joglekar 74, Beigh 61, Bandekar 4-39) trail Goa 337 (Asnodkar 93, D'Souza 65, Ninan 58) by 166 runs
Scorecard
In Margao, Goa were also in charge of their match, against Jammu and Kashmir, but not as emphatically as Haryana. Robin D'Souza and Ryan Ninan extended their ninth-wicket partnership to 121 runs to frustrate J&K. The centrepiece of Jammu's reply was a patient 122-run association between Manoj Joglekar and Samiullah Beigh. Their side were in a hole because they lost three quick wickets each on either side of that stand. Medium-pacer Saurabh Bandekar, a former India Under-19, was their main tormentor, taking four wickets.
Kerala 27 for 2 and 135 (Thakur 5-26) trail Himachal Pradesh 370 (Mukesh 88, Sangram 72, Yohannan 6-89) by 209 runs
Scorecard
There was another one-sided match in progress in Dharmasala where Himachal Pradesh were eying full points against Kerala. On a day on which fifteen wickets fell, Kerala were forced to follow-on, and were 27 for 2 at stumps in their second innings. It was a great day for Ashok Thakur: he started off with a breezy 33 to boost Himachal to 370, and then took five wickets as Kerala were shot out for 135. It would have been even more embarrassing for Kerala had it not been for their late-order resistance, the last two wickets lifting them from 59 for 8.
Tripura 215 and 96 for 5 lead Assam 195 (Purkayastha 77) by 116 runs
Scorecard
It was an action-packed day in Agartala as well where a low-scoring tussle was playing out. Debutants Sarupam Purkayastha and Deepak Sharma (46) were the only Assam batsmen to make more than 20 when their side were bowled out for 195. Tripura had a slim first-innings lead but Assam's bowlers took wickets periodically to wrench the advantage back. Tripura finished on 96 for 5 with Nishit Shetty (15*) the only recognised batsman remaining.
Madhya Pradesh 178 for 5 (Kanitkar 76*, Tomar 51*) trail Bengal 210 by 32 runs
Scorecard
It was a far quieter day in Gwalior with only four wickets falling and 174 runs being scored. Bengal were threatening to dominate the game but Madhya Pradesh captain Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Brijesh Tomar ensured it was a tight affair. Fast bowler Ashok Dinda, who came into prominence during the IPL, took three wickets to leave MP in trouble at 59 for 5, before cautious half-centuries from Kanitkar and Tomar took them to stumps within sight of Bengal's total.
Vidarbha 151 and 178 for 2 (Fazal 119) lead Services 77 (Sandeep Singh 5-27) by 252 runs
Scorecard
In Delhi, Services folded for 77 in their first innings, undone by the quick bowling pair of Sandeep Singh and Mohammad Hashim, to give Vidarbha the edge. That advantage was magnified by an unbeaten century from opener Faiz Fazal, who had top-scored in both innings in the previous match against Madhya Pradesh. Vidarbha finished the day with a 252-run lead and having eight wickets in hand, well-placed to push for victory.