Rinku demonstrates his form with 92 runs scored against Kerala, while Bishnoi is instrumental in Gujarat’s dramatic comeback victory over Tamil Nadu.
There were eleven uncontested victories and seven draws in the first round of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy; Puducherry’s victory over Delhi was perhaps the most shocking result. This is a summary.
Rinku, Kuldeep impresses for UP
With the assistance of Uttar Pradesh’s 302 runs after being given the opportunity to bat, Rinku Singh fell eight short of an eighth first-class century. With the heavy scalps of Vishnu Vinod and Sachin Baby, Kuldeep Yadav subsequently cleaved through the crème of Kerala’s highest order. Participating in UP gaining a 59-run advantage, he concluded with figures of 19-1-68-3. Quick bowler Ankit Rajpoot, who took five wickets, also reached peak form alongside Kuldeep. With centuries from Priyam Garg and Aryan Juyal in a scoreless stalemate, UP elected to continue batting after gaining the upper hand. Two wicketkeepers comprise Sanju Samson.
Bishnoi’s contribution to Gujarat’s dramatic victory
In Valsad, Ravi Bishnoi’s four-wicket haul in the first innings assisted Gujarat in defeating Tamil Nadu by 14 runs and securing an exciting victory. The 236 scored by Gujarat appeared enormous when TN were struggling at 119 for 8 in the first innings. M Mohammed and Sandeep Warrier subsequently contributed to TN’s lead with 116 runs for the ninth wicket. Gujarat staged a comeback under the leadership of Ripal Patel, who scored 81 off 71 balls and Umang Kumar scored 89. Tamil Nadu were reduced from 299 to 187 after being set 299, with fast bowler Arzan Nagwaswalla taking four wickets. One of two all-rounders on the India squad, Washington Sundar amassed two runs and scored once with the bat, while accumulating a one-for-six record with the ball.
Starring Padikkal and Pandey, Karnataka dominates Punjab.
Devdutt Padikkal and Manish Pandey each scored hundreds to assist Karnataka in establishing a substantial lead on the opening day, following which Punjab were dismissed for 41 runs by fast bowler V Koushik. Punjab, electing to bat, were dismissed for 152 runs prior to Karnataka’s 514 for 8 declared. Punjab batted for 114.4 overs and put Karnataka to work with 413 runs, requiring 362 to avert an innings loss. Abhishek Sharma (91) and Prabhsimran Singh (100) set the tone with a 192-run opening stand. With a deficit of three early losses and a 52-point deficit, Karnataka rallied in the final session to earn six points. In the first innings, fast bowler Arshdeep Singh put him to good use with figures of 28-1-92-3.
Pujara’s seventeenth double-ton remains in the conversation.
Saurashtra built a vast first-innings advantage with the assistance of Cheteshwar Pujara’s unbeaten 243, but Jharkhand salvaged a point in a drawn match in Rajkot. While opener Kumar Deobrat scored 91 and middle order batsman Kumar Suraj amassed an unbeaten 113, Jharkhand accumulated 109 overs for 306 for 3 at the time the captains’ clasped hands. Chirag Jani, an all-rounder, scored five fours in the first innings, excluding Pujara. Prerak Mankad and wicketkeeper Desai each scored eighty-five and 104 not out, respectively.
Despair ensues as Delhi succumbs to defeat.
Their most talented batsmen have departed: Nitish Rana has joined Uttar Pradesh, and Dhruv Shorey has joined Vidarbha. Due to association politics, a 26-man roster was reduced to 15 members mere hours before the game began. Delhi was dismissed by Puducherry by nine wickets, with little preparation on their part, and were no longer considered newcomers. The fast bowler Gaurav Yadav claimed ten wickets in his first first-class match for his new team since relocating from Madhya Pradesh. The captain of Delhi, Yash Dhull, who led India to victory at the Under-19 World Cup in 2022, was dismissed from his position minutes after the loss. Navdeep Saini and Ishant Sharma combined for a meager three wickets in the opening innings, as Puducherry’s decisive margin of 96 runs stood.
Dube celebrates his call-up to India with a comprehensive performance.
Shivam Dube has returned to the India Twenty20 International squad after a stellar IPL campaign. Despite being a member of the winning squad at the Asian Games, his inclusion in the Afghanistan Twenty20 Internationals holds considerable importance as it represents India’s final assignment before the T20 World Cup in June. His 41 off 61 balls in a first innings in which Mumbai scored a meager 251 runs was sufficient to secure an innings and 51 run victory over Bihar, who were dismissed for 100 in each innings. Dube accumulated a total of six figures for twenty-three during the match.
