Tamil Nadu skipper R Sai Kishore stole the spotlight, this time with the ball, as his four-wicket haul helped his side thrash Saurashtra by an innings and 33 runs on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal in Coimbatore on Sunday. As a result, TN became the first team to enter the semi-final this season, which will be played on March 2. Resuming at the overnight score of 300 for 6 in their first innings, TN managed to add just 38 more to their total, with Ajith Ram staying unbeaten on 23. However, TN managed to take a lead of 155 against Saurahstra’s 183, thanks to some commendable knocks from Sai Kishore (60), Baba Indrajith (80) and Boopathi Kumar (65).

It was a collective effort from the visiting bowling unit, with everyone chipping in with wickets, barring Prerak Mankad, who was the most economical of the lot (1.00). Chirag Jani claimed three.

Saurashtra began their second innings on a nervous note, losing three wickets for 48 runs, with Sandeep Warrier getting two of their top-order batters out cheaply — Harvik Desai (4) and Sheldon Jackson (2).

The pair of Cheteshwar Pujara (46) and Arpit Vasavada (20) managed to stitch a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket and tried to bring Saurashtra innings somewhat back on track.

However, Mohamed Ali managed to get rid of Vasavada as the score read 103 for 4, before the floodgates were opened.

Saurashtra batters thereon were all dismissed for single-digit figures. Pujara, their highest scorer in this innings and this season, was the eighth wicket to fall at 111, with Sai Kishore, the competition’s highest wicket-taker of the season, earning the prized wicket.

Eventually, the entire Saurashtra side were shot out for 122, handing the hosts their spot in the semi-final.

Besides Sai Kishore, who has an economy of 1.01, Warrier also provided great support in the TN bowling unit, capturing three wickets.

Thakur, Sarwate give Vidarbha command over Karnataka

Yash Thakur and Aditya Sarwate shone bright as Vidarbha moved into a commanding position against Karnataka after swelling their lead to 224 runs on the third day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match here on Sunday.

Left-arm spinner Sarwate (3/50) and pacer Thakur (3/48) shared six wickets equally among them as Karnataka were bundled out for 286 in their first innings after resuming from overnight 98 for two.

It helped the hosts take a huge innings lead of 174 runs and Vidarbha closed day three at 50 for no loss in their second innings with openers and first-innings centurion Atharva Taide (21) and Dhruv Shorey (29) manning the crease.

Karnataka had an arduous task of closing the gap with Vidarbha.

Their biggest hope for that was the presence of in-form veteran Manish Pandey and handy middle and lower-order batters like Hardik Raj, Sharath Srinivas and Vysakh Vijayakumar.

But Pandey, a hundred-maker in the last match against Chandigarh, perished in the first session itself for 15, getting castled by Thakur.

But vice-captain Nikin Jose (82, 212b, 11×4) and Hardik combined to milk 50 runs for the fourth wicket as Karnataka innings seemed to have got back on tracks.

However, the Thakur-Karun Nair combine spelt doom for Hardik as Karnataka lost their fifth wicket for 198.

There was another useful stand of 53 between Jose and Srinivas, another centurion from Karnataka last encounter, as it took them past 250.

But Sarwate elicited an edge from Srinivas which nestled in the big gloves of Akshay Wadkar.

At 251 for six, Karnataka did not have any genuine chance to overtake Vidarbha’s first-innings total of 460 and Jose’s dismissal on the team score of 286 was the end of their slender hopes.

Karnataka lost two more wickets on that score as veteran pacer Umesh Yadav upended the stumps of Vysakh and Vasuki Koushik to bring curtains on the visitors’ innings.

India U-19 World Cup star Musheer Khan came to Mumbai’s rescue with his maiden first class hundred as the hosts recovered from a precarious position to reach 248 for five on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Baroda in Mumbai on Friday. The 18-year-old Musheer, who was among the leading run-scorers in the recently-concluded U-19 World Cup in South Africa, was at the forefront of Mumbai’s recovery who were jolted multiple times after electing to bat here at the BKC Ground.

Musheer raised a well-calculated 128 not out off 216 balls, studded with 10 fours, while putting on two crucial partnerships to lead the recovery for Mumbai who were reeling at 99 for four at one stage.

Musheer, the younger brother of India batter Sarfaraz Khan, came into the playing eleven as a replacement for the injured all-rounder Shivam Dube.

Baroda veteran Bhargav Bhatt (4/82) struck thrice to jolt Mumbai early in the contest, accounting for Prithvi Shaw (33), Bhupen Lalwani (19) and Ajinkya Rahane, whose ordinary form with the bat persisted.

The swashbuckling Shaw appeared to be in his usual elements cracking six boundaries to get 33 from just 46 balls, but he was stumped by Baroda wicketkeeper Mitesh Patel off Bhatt in the 14th over.

Shaw seemed to have done his job, having taken Mumbai off to a confident start, while putting on 57 runs for the first wicket with Bhupen Lalwani but once they were separated, it all went south for the home side playing in favourable conditions.

Baroda did not have to wait longer for further inroads as Mumbai’s in-form opener Lalwani perished for just 19 from 41 balls with three fours, caught by Shivalik Sharma off Bhatt.

Rahane’s ordinary run with the bat continued when the Mumbai captain was cleaned up by Bhatt for a mere 3, whereas Ninad Rathva piled up further pressure on the 41-time champions by removing all-rounder Shams Mulani (6) for cheap.

Coming in to bat at No. 3, Musheer did well to stem the flow of wickets for Mumbai with a 43-run stand for the fifth wicket with Suryansh Shedge (20), followed by a splendid unbeaten 106-run stand for the sixth wicket with Hardik Tamore.

Mumbai wicketkeeper-batter Tamore dropped anchor to play a perfect second fiddle to Musheer, scoring a mere 30 runs not out off 163 balls in their unbeaten century stand.

Earlier in the day, the players observed a two-minute silence on the passing away of former Maharashtra chief minister and Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Manohar Joshi.

Mumbai players also took the field wearing black armbands in his memory.

Sai Kishore bags five as Tamil Nadu demolish Saurashtra for 183

Tamil Nadu skipper R Sai Kishore continued his fine run in Ranji Trophy, scalping five wickets to help his side dismiss defending champions Saurashtra for 183 on day one of the quarterfinal match in Coimbatore on Friday.

With 43 wickets, the 27-year-old spinner has become the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far this season.

In reply, Tamil Nadu were 23 for 1, with Saurashtra ahead by 160 runs.

The visitors opted to bat after winning the toss and almost immediately suffered a setback with Kevin Jivrajani (0) falling prey to Sandeep Warrier.

Opener Harvik Desai (83) and Sheldon Jackson (22) added 47 more to the total before the latter was cleaned up by Sai Kishore.

Cheteshwar Pujara (2), Saurahstra’s highest run-scorer this season, was sent back by Ajith Ram, with the score reading 61 for three.

Desai and Arpit Vasavada (25) then stitched a 44-run stand for the fourth wicket. However, the hosts ensured the partnership did last too long for comfort, with Ajith Ram trapping the latter leg before.

Thereafter, Saurashtra failed to get any proper partnership going, barely managing a couple of 30-plus stands.

Sai Kishore got rid of Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (0), Chirag Jani (0), skipper Jaydev Unadkat (1) and Yuvrajsinh Dodiya (0) to bundle out the visitors for 183. Prerak Mankad remained unbeaten on 35.

Besides Sai Kishore, Ajith Ram and Sandeep Warrier also played their part in bowling, grabbing three and two wickets respectively.

Tamil Nadu too had an inauspicious start, losing Vimal Khumar (5) to Chirag Jani with just nine runs on the board.

Sai Kishore walked in next as the night-watchman, managing to bat out the remaining six overs for the day, as the hosts finished at 23 for one, trailing by 160 runs.

After a month and half of topsy-turvy ride, eight teams have managed to steer themselves clear of other 24 contenders to enter the quarterfinals. Now, they are standing at a point of no return, as even the slightest slip can throw them out at the quarterfinals stage, beginning across India from Friday. There are familiar faces — 41-time champions Mumbai, strong contenders Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, giant-killers Vidarbha and Baroda, the stonewalling Saurashtra besides Madhya Pradesh and Andhra, who are capable of springing a surprise or two. So, here’s a closer look at the four last eight clashes.

Mumbai vs Baroda

A depleted Mumbai will hope to make the most of their current form when they face Baroda here from Friday.

Without middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who has been struggling for fitness, and star all-rounder Shivam Dube, who has been sidelined with a bilateral side strain, Mumbai have their task cut out against Baroda at the BKC Ground.

While Dube could be unavailable for the remainder of the season, the Mumbai squad has been bolstered with the inclusion of India’s U-19 World Cup star Musheer Khan.

Having recorded the most points (37) in the Elite Group B, Mumbai have been in red-hot form with their defeat to Uttar Pradesh at the Wankhede Stadium being an exception.

With Dube unavailable, Mumbai will hope for right-handed opener Bhupen Lalwani, who has struck 493 runs in seven games at 49.3 with one century and five fifties, to continue his run. Mohit Avasthi has been Mumbai’s key weapon with 31 wickets from six matches including three fifers and as many Player of the Match awards, and he has formed a potent attack with Royston Dias (17) and left-arm spinner Shams Mulani (23).

Skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s form has been a concern but Mumbai will hope for fireworks from Prithvi Shaw, who has made a comeback midway through the season.

However, Mumbai will feel they are favourites given Baroda’s recent form – three draws and one loss – in the last four games despite Shashwat Rawat’s (628 runs) consistency with the bat.

Vidarbha take on Karnataka

Vidarbha will fancy their chances against a formidable Karnataka when they meet at the VCA Ground in Nagpur.

Vidarbha are the only team apart from Mumbai to have recorded five wins in Group A and playing in their backyard will help their confidence against Karnataka, who finished second in Group C behind Tamil Nadu.

But Vidarbha will feel the absence of seasoned campaigner Faiz Fazal who called time on his career after the last group stage game, in which they crushed Haryana by 115 runs.

Skipper Akshay Wadkar (431 runs), Dhruv Shorey (427) and former Karnataka batter Karun Nair (391) have been at the forefront of Vidarbha’s charge with the bat while Aditya Sarwate and Aditya Thakare have handled the responsibility well in the bowling department with 30 wickets apiece.

The unavailability of Devdutt Padikkal (556 runs in 4 matches at 92.66) will be felt in Karnataka camp but the likes of Manish Pandey (464) and Sharath Srinivas (429) can shoulder the batting responsibility.

Pacer Vysakh Vijaykumar’s all-round brilliance will also be a key factor for Karnataka.

Saurashtra confident against TN

Some of Saurashtra’s all-time greats have travelled to Coimbatore to take on Tamil Nadu, who have made it to the Ranji Trophy knockouts for the first time in six years.

Cheteshwar Pujara has piled up 780 runs (at 78.1, 3x100s, 2x50s) this season with skipper Arpit Vasavada (440) and Prerak Mankad (426) in tow.

With both Gaurav Yadav (Pondicherry) and Hitesh Walunj (Maharashtra) out of race for most wickets (41) this season, Saurashtra’s Dharmendrasinh Jadeja is in open territory with 39 wickets to establish himself the leading wicket-taker.

Saurashtra finished second behind Vidarbha in Group Am while Tamil Nadu have recorded some big wins including a nine-wicket hammering of Punjab.

Narayan Jagadeesan (775) is only six runs behind Pujara in the run-getters’ chart while Baba Indrajith has once again showcased consistency in domestic circuit, garnering 606 runs in seven games.

TN spinners R Sai Kishore (38 wickets) and S Ajith Ram (36) have hunted in tandem and Saurashtra batters will be wary of their exploits in home conditions.

MP wary of Andhra’s all-round strength 

At the Holkar Stadium in Indore, hosts Madhya Pradesh will have to put their best foot forward against a dangerous Andhra side who are coming off a three-match unbeaten run.

Ricky Bhui (861 runs at 86.1, 4x100s, 3x50s) has been the season’s best performer with the bat whereas India batter Hanuma Vihari (453) has also played some vital knocks.

Andhra finished second behind Mumbai in Group B, indicating their form and confidence coming into this knockout game.

On the other hand, the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy winner MP have had the distinction of being unbeaten this season.

Venkatesh Iyer (510 runs) and Kumar Kartikeya (34) have been the players in-form for MP, who have recorded some one-sided wins coming into this quarterfinal clash.