All-rounder Vijay Shankar blasted an unbeaten 150 as Tamil Nadu closed in on an outright win after declaring at 305 for 5 and reducing Chandigarh to 113 for 5 on day 3 of their Elite Group D Ranji Trophy match here on Saturday. In a clash between the two table-toppers, Shankar struck 12 fours and five sixes in his 171-ball innings, while Narayan Jagadeesan contributed 89 at the top as Tamil Nadu recovered from a mini-collapse to set Chandigarh a daunting target of 403.
This century marked Shankar’s 11th first-class ton and second of the season.
Chandigarh, who had been bowled out for 204 in their first innings, faced a tough challenge as they were reduced to 113 for 5 in 33 overs. Skipper Manan Vohra was battling on 47, but his team still required 290 runs to win.
At stumps, Vohra was at the crease with Vishu Kashyap (4).
For Tamil Nadu, skipper Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore (2/38) and S Ajith Ram (2/46) took two wickets each, while M Mohammed (1/13) accounted for one.
Resuming the day at 27 for 2, overnight batter Jagadeesan witnessed Ajith Ram (7) and Baba Indrajith (3) being dismissed cheaply.
Shankar then joined Jagadeesan and forged a 152-run partnership to steady the innings. Andre Siddarth also contributed with an unbeaten 36.
Chhattisgarh lead by 59 runs against Jharkhand
In Jamshedpur, Anuj Tiwary (66) and Ashutosh Singh (64) scored fifties as Chhattisgarh reached 205 for 4 in their second innings, taking a 59-run lead against Jharkhand on day 3.
Jharkhand, resuming at 304 for 4, were all out for 376 in 118.2 overs.
Sumit Ruikar (4/87) was the pick of the bowlers, while Gagandeep Singh and Ashish Chouhan took two wickets each. Jharkhand had gained a 146-run first-innings lead.
At stumps, Sanjeet Desai was on 23, and Gagandeep Singh was yet to get off the mark.
Ghadigaonkar hits 100 not out in Assam’s 175 for 4
Sumit Ghadigaonkar (100*) cracked an unbeaten century, while Sibsankar Roy (56) also made a fifty as Assam reached 175 for 4 after dismissing Railways for 250 on day 3.
At stumps, Ghadigaonkar was batting alongside Swarupam Puryayastha (15).
Assam now trails by 75 runs.
Earlier, former India A keeper-batter Upendra Yadav (103) completed his century, and Bhargav Merai hit a half-century as Railways added another 52 runs to their overnight score of 198 for 5 before being bowled out.
Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai’s spellbinding performance was the highlight as Gujarat secured a dominant innings and 28 run victory over Uttarakhand in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match here on Saturday.
Gujarat vs Uttarakhand
Desai’s career-best figures of 9/36 had single-handedly dismantled the visitors’ batting lineup to bowl them out for 111 in the first innings.
In reply, Gujarat’s Manan Hingrajia (116) and Jaymeet Patel (121) piled on the runs as they posted a formidable 393, taking a substantial 282-run lead.
Uttarakhand folded for 254 in their second essay as Gujarat wrapped up the match with more than a day to spare.
Desai wasn’t done yet as he continued to torment Uttarakhand batters, claiming 3 more wickets in the second innings to finish with a remarkable match haul of 12/113.
He was well-supported by Rinkesh Vaghela (3/63), Vishal Jayswal (3/71).
The only resistance came for Shashwat Dangwal who scored 101 from 129 balls after skipper Ravikumar Samarth showed some positive signs at the top with his resolute 162-ball 76.
Rajasthan vs Vidarbha
The bonus point win helped Gujarat (26) climb to the second spot, two points behind Vidarbha who led a strong second innings fightback in an away match against Rajasthan.
Skipper Akshay Wadkar (102 batting) and Yash Rathod who missed a century by two runs led their fight back to take them to 358/7 in their second essay after conceding a first innings lead.
Vidarbha now lead by 258 runs, setting up an intense final day’s play.
Brief Scores:
Tamil Nadu: 301 and 305/5 declared in 72.5 overs (Vijay Shankar 150; Jagjit Singh Sandhu 3/43). Chandigarh 1st Innings: 204 & 113/5 in 33 overs (Manan Vohra 47; Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore 2/38) Chhattisgarh: 230 & 205/4 in 63 overs (Anuj Tiwary 66, Ashutosh Singh 64; Utkarsh Singh 2/30). Jharkhand 1st Innings: 376 all out in 118.2 overs (Kumar Suraj 104, Sharandeep Singh 69, Utkarsh Singh 62; Sumit Ruikar 4/87).
Assam: 175/4 in 52 overs (Sumit Ghadigaonkar 100 not out; Himanshu Sangwan 2/44). Railways: 250 all out in 85.1 overs (Upendra Yadav 103, Mukhtar Hussain 4/24).
In Ahmedabad: Uttarakhand 111 and 254 in 87.3 overs (Shashwat Dangwal 101, Ravikumar Samarth 76; Rinkesh Vaghela 3/63, Vishal Jayswal 3/71, Siddharth Desai 3/77) lost to Gujarat 393 by an innings and 28 runs.
In Hyderabad: Hyderabad 565 in 168.5 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 177, Kodimela Himateja 76, Abhirath Reddy 73, Saranuu Nishanth 71, Rahul Radesh 52; Akash Vashist 4/92, Mukul Negi 3/98) vs Himachal Pradesh 275 (Innesh Mahajan 68, Shubham Arora 53, Akash Vashist 46; Ankitreddy 5/72) and 21 for no loss.
In Puducherry: Andhra 303 and 248/5; 69 overs (Karan Shinde 86 batting; Ankit Sharma 2/56). Puducherry 260; 79 overs (Mohit Kale 60, Arun Karthik 59, Aman Khan 50; Prithvi Raj 5/64).
In Jaipur: Vidarbha 165 and 358/7; 122 overs (Akshay Wadkar 102, Yash Rathod 98, Nachiket Bhute 57). Rajasthan 265.
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