Read full details from action-packed Day 2, Round 5 of Ranji Trophy.
After an action-packed Day 1, the second day also saw numerous top performers in the Ranji Trophy. Here’s the full round-up of all the key moments and performances from Day 2, Round 5 of Ranji Trophy.
Smaran Ravichandran has continued his terrific run in red-ball cricket, coming up with another magnificent knock in the Karnataka vs Chandigarh game. While batting at No.5, he hit a double century with the help of 16 boundaries and a maximum to stamp his authority.
When Smaran came to the crease, Karnataka were 64/3 in 27.2 overs, but he formed a prudent partnership with Karun Nair to take his team to safer shores. While other batters lost their wickets after getting starts, Smaran continued batting and hit another double century of the season.
Shreyas Gopal has been one of the heavy contributors for Karnataka this season. Apart from snaring wickets in bunches, Gopal has also chipped in with useful batting contributions at times, showing his utility as an all-rounder.
The CSK player scored a handy 62 in 147 balls, including five boundaries, to further torment Chandigarh bowlers. Gopal formed a big 141-run stand with Smaran for the sixth wicket and ensured the opponent had no chance to bundle Karnataka on a low score.
Later, he took three wickets inside 4.4 overs in the second innings to leave Chandigarh in a spot of trouble. His spell late in the day ensured Karnataka ended on a high note.
At this stage, Auqib Nabi has been taking wickets for fun in red-ball cricket and has put on another dominating performance in the Jammu & Kashmir and Hyderabad game. He took four wickets for 39 runs in 16 overs to restrict Hyderabad to a mere 121.
He is currently the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition, and his form suggests he will grab the top spot soon. Nabi’s performances have surely put him in contention for India A selection, especially since he has shown the skills to take wickets irrespective of the decks.
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Abhimanyu Easwaran hasn’t been as consistent as his lofty standards in the ongoing domestic season, but he showed his class in the Bengal vs Assam encounter. Opening the innings, Easwaran scored 66 in 111 deliveries, including eight boundaries.
It was a necessary knock for the Bengal batter, who registered two ducks in the recently concluded Test against South Africa A. However, Easwaran should have converted this score into a big one, as his stocks are getting low.
The ever-consistent Sarfaraz Khan came up with another reasonable score for Mumbai. He scored 67 runs in 113 balls, including six boundaries and a maximum.
This was his maiden fifty of this year’s Ranji Trophy, but he must be disappointed not to score a century. It was there for taking, but Sarfaraz couldn’t grab it and was dismissed by Aman Hakim Khan against the run of play.
Gujarat Titans all-rounder Arshad Khan put on a commendable bowling display in the Madhya Pradesh vs Kerala fixture. He grabbed four wickets for 54 runs in 20 overs, ending as the best bowler of his side.
His wickets included big batters like Abhishek Nair and Mohammed Azharuddeen, as his spell helped Madhya Pradesh bundle Kerala on a mere 281. It was a top spell from Arshad against a strong Kerala outfit.
The Rajasthan vs Delhi game saw numerous centuries in the first innings, and Mahipal Lomror is another batter to add his name to the list. Currently, he is batting on 126 in 227 balls, including seven boundaries and four maximums.
He has looked good right from the start in this innings. His knock has ensured Rajasthan have posted a big total on the board and will likely earn a first-innings lead.
Shardul Thakur showed his utility as an all-rounder. Firstly, he hit a quickfire 56 in just 32 deliveries, including three boundaries and four maximums, at a strike rate of 175.
Later, Thakur put on a show with the new ball by taking three wickets inside four overs to leave Pondicherry reeling. He, along with Tushar Deshpande, reduced the opponent to 26/4 in 8.5 overs late in the day.
Siddhesh Lad batted at No.4 and registered another big score for Mumbai. He compiled 170 in 285 balls, including 19 fours and four sixes in the Mumbai vs Pondicherry game.
Several Mumbai batters had starts, but only Lad could translate them into three digits, as Pondicherry continued to suffer. He would have liked to convert it into a double century, but fell just after Tea.
Andhra batters Shaik Rasheed and KS Bharat hit half-centuries in the Jharkhand vs Andhra fixture. Rasheed scored 58 in 117 balls, including six boundaries, while Bharat accumulated 51 in 67 deliveries, with the help of eight boundaries.
Punjab batter Uday Saharan endured a rare failure, as he fell on a mere 12 in the Punjab vs Maharashtra game. Meanwhile, Hanuma Vihari also registered a low score, scoring only 18, despite coming on the back of big centuries in the Railways vs Tripura game.
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