Ranji Trophy 2019-20: Semi-finals – Day 2: Round Up

Coming on to Bengal's second innings, it was not a cakewalk for the hosts as they lost four early wickets before the stumps on Day 2.

Published - 01 Mar 2020, 17:32 IST | Updated - 01 Mar 2020, 17:32 IST

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As the semi-finals of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season flagged off on Saturday, the crowd was treated with some brilliant action over the course of first two days. Saurashtra locked horns with Gujarat in Rajkot while Bengal faced Karnataka at Eden Gardens.

A dominant Saurashtra tested their batting strength on Day 1 against Gujarat as they amassed 304 runs on the scoreboard. A robust top order comprising Harvik Desai (35) and Kishan Parmar (37) laid a strong foundation for their side until Sheldon Jackson took guard and stole the limelight eventually by smashing a resilient century. Jackson scored 103 off 204 deliveries and stitched his knock around 15 fours and two sixes.’

Arzan Nagwaswalla emerged as the top-performer for Gujarat as he led their bowling force by taking a five-wicket haul. He was also assisted by Axar Patel (3-53) and Roosh Kalaria (2-79).

After amassing a competitive 304-run total on the board– courtesy Sheldon Jackson’s gritty ton– Saurashtra’s bowling force showcased their class by scalping Gujarat’s six wickets before they crossed the 100-run mark. Saurashtra’s bowling attack wreaked havoc on Gujarat batsmen from the word go and they dismissed both openers in the first two overs itself.

Dhruv Raval steadied Gujarat’s innings by stitching a 35-run knock before getting dismissed off Jaydev Unadkat. Skipper Parthiv Patel was also shown the exit door as he departed off Dharmendrasinh Jadeja’s delivery after scoring 27 runs. Jadeja struck yet again in his subsequent over as he dismissed Chirag Gandhi for a duck. Rujul Bhatt (27) and Axar Patel (7) stuck to the crease till the culmination of Day 2 as Gujarat posted 119 runs on the board at the loss of six wickets. The Parthiv Patel-led side is currently trailing by 185 runs against Saurashtra.

Ishan Porel scalps a five-wicket haul

In the second semi-final of Ranji Trophy 2019-20, Bengal amassed 312 runs on the board in their first innings on the back of an impressive 149-run knock by Anustup Majumdar. Shahbaz Ahmed (35) and Akash Deep (44) also delivered vital contributions while coming down the order. Karnataka, on the other hand, suffered a batting fiasco as Karun Nair and his men succumbed to Ishan Porel’s fiery spells. Porel’s five-wicket haul dismantled a formidable batting unit of Karnataka as they could post only 122 runs on the scoreboard.

Porel was also assisted by the duo of Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, who scalped three and two wickets each. Krishnappa Gowtham (31) and Abhimanyu Mithun (24) stitched vital cameos down the order to ensure that Karnataka cross the 100-run mark.

Coming on to Bengal’s second innings, it was not a cakewalk for the hosts as they lost four early wickets before the stumps on Day 2. Abhimanyu Mithun plucked three early wickets to spur Karnataka back into the game. At the culmination of Day 2, Sudip Chatterjee (40) was at the crease along with Anustup Majumdar(1).