Tamil Nadu Cricket 2023: Ravindra Jadeja Returns To Captain Saurashtra Against Tamil Nadu. Though Saurashtra are set to qualify for the knock-out phase, Jadeja’s return has generated a lot of interest in the game ahead of the crucial four-Test series against the visiting Australia next month.
marking his comeback to competitive cricket after close to six months. (Cricket News)
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The four-day game will effectively be a fitness test for Jadeja, and if the net session on the eve of the match is any indication, the 34-year-old is likely to pass with flying colors.
Prithvi Shaw’s record triple helps Mumbai inflict innings defeat on Assam Shaw amassed the second-highest Ranji Trophy score of all time, and the highest for a Mumbai batter with his 379 off 383 balls. His knock helped Mumbai knock over Assam by innings and 128 runs in a Group B affair.
Batting first, Mumbai declared on 687 for 4, with captain Ajinkya Rahane also contributing with 191. In reply, Shams Mulani’s four-wicket haul restricted Assam to 370. They were asked to follow-on and were rolled over for 189 with Shardul Thakur leading the way with a three-for. The win kept Mumbai second on the Group B points table, three points behind Saurashtra.
Hyderabad’s season goes from bad to worse
In another abject show from Hyderabad, they were blown away by an innings and 57 runs by Saurashtra in under two days in a Group B encounter in Hyderabad. Jaydev Unadkat and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja picked up three wickets apiece in the first innings to bundle the hosts for 79 after Hyderabad elected to bat.
In reply, Saurashtra racked up 327 in 68.3 overs to take a 248-run lead despite a seven-wicket haul from left-arm spinner Anikethreddy. Hyderabad put a marginally better show in their second innings but still fell short and were bowled out for 191, with Jadeja picking four wickets and Unadkat three. The entire match lasted just 146 overs.
This is Hyderabad’s fourth straight loss in the Ranji Trophy this season. So far they have a solitary point after five games, and are languishing at the bottom of Group B and are in danger of being relegated to the Plate group.
Ranji Trophy 2023
Ranji Trophy 2023: Tamil Nadu Cricket team captain Sai Kishore during their practise session ahead of Ranji Trophy matches against Assam at MAC Stadium. The team will have a new captain in R. Sai Kishore when it takes the field at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday against Assam.
With just eight points from five matches, Tamil Nadu will take comfort from playing in familiar conditions at home as it seeks its first win of the season.
Despite the change in captaincy, there have been no changes in the squad for the last two matches.
Dhruv Shorey’s golden run and Delhi’s rescue act
Even though more than 90 overs were lost due to bad light in the game, Delhi and Andhra jostled for first-innings points going into the final day. It turned out to be an eventful one which saw an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 65 between Delhi’s Nos.10 and 11, Harshit Rana and Divij Mehra, helping them earn three points compared to Andhra’s one.
Himmat Singh’s maiden first-class century helped Delhi get three points•PTI
Batting first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, five half-centuries helped Andhra declare on 459 for 9. In reply, Dhruv Shorey (185) carried on his excellent form recording his third 150-plus score of the season. He was backed up well by Himmat Singh, who scored his maiden first-class century, but it seemed they were going to fall short of Andhra’s total when Himmat was run-out for 104, and Delhi were 423 for 9, still 36 adrift. But Rana and Mehra stepped up to help their side get the lead, and provide some hope in a campaign that has been in turmoil both on and off the field. They are now seventh on the Group B table, just above Hyderabad.
Punjab gun down 205 in 24.5 overs
A game that seemed to be heading towards a draw was brought to life by a stunning onslaught from opener Abhishek Sharma, whose 47-ball 83 helped Punjab chase down 205 at 8.45 per over against Jammu and Kashmir late on the last day of the Group D game in Mohali.
Baltej Singh picked up a match haul of 10 for 92 with two five-fors as Punjab had about 38 overs for the chase. With light also being an issue, draw would have been the likely outcome, but Punjab’s batters brought about their own version of Bazball to stun J&K.
Abhishek smashed nine fours and four sixes and by the time he fell, Punjab had raced to 133 for 3 in 16 overs. While Abid Mushtaq did pick four wickets, he wasn’t able to stem the run flow and captain Mandeep Singh’s unbeaten 45 off 39 saw them through.
Pandey, Gaikwad, Vijay among the runs
Manish Pandey’s 101 and Shreyas Gopal’s 95 helped Karnataka get the better of Rajasthan by 10 wickets and helped them consolidate their position at the top of the Group C table. Pandey has blown hot and cold this season. Barring his 208 not out against Goa, Pandey has failed to cross 50 in five other innings.
In Pune, Ruturaj Gaikwad‘s 195 trumped Vijay Shankar’s 107 as Maharashtra took the first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu. Gaikwad’s century helped Maharashtra score 446 in their first innings, while Tamil Nadu were restricted to 404. Captain Ankit Bawne and Azim Kazi then scored centuries in the second innings as Maharashtra took home three points.
Bangladesh XI wrapped up proceedings on day four of the first four-day match against Tamil Nadu XI, picking up the remaining four wickets to win by an innings and four runs at M A Chidambaram Stadium today. Taijul Islam, who picked up three wickets yesterday, completed a fifer as Bangladesh XI won handsomely.
Tamil Nadu had started day four on 133 for six after Bangladesh XI had enforced the follow-on on day three. Adithya Ganesh, who held the innings together with an unbeaten 41 on day three, fell early to Rejaur Rahman Raja after a 95-ball 48.
Taijul picked up the wickets from Vignesh L and Aswin Crist A to finish with five for 96. Pacers Khaled Ahmed and Raja picked up two wickets each as Tamil Nadu were bowled out for 252 in their second innings. Aswin was the top-scorer for the hosts with a 92-ball 57 before being caught behind by Taijul.
Earlier, Bangladesh XI had put on 349 for 9 in their first innings courtesy of captain Mohammad Mithun’s unbeaten 156 and opener Shadman Islam’s 89. Raja bagged five and Taijul got four in the first innings to skittle Tamil Nadu XI out for 93 as Bangladesh XI had enforced the follow-on.
The second and final four-day match against Tamil Nadu will be played from November 1-4 at the same venue.
