Veteran all-rounder Jalaj Saxena took five wickets as Kerala bowled Odisha out for 143 in their second innings to secure an innings and 36-run victory in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.The win took Kerala to third place in the standings, behind Maharashtra and Bengal. Bengal had beaten Services by 60 runs on Tuesday.Asked to follow on, Odisha resumed their second innings at 102/4 but lost their remaining six wickets for just 41 runs. They were bowled out for 143 in 58.3 overs, allowing Kerala to seal the win in the second session on the fourth and final day.Saxena led the attack with figures of 5/34 in 18 overs, including seven maidens. Odisha could not build on their overnight score, with their final two wickets falling to run-outs.Opener Gourav Choudhary top-scored with 53, while captain Subhranshu Senapati made 30. The pair had helped Odisha recover from early setbacks before Saxena took apart the lower order.Odisha had scored 225 in their first innings, giving Kerala a lead of 179 after the hosts posted 404. Mohammed Azharuddeen was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 139 in Kerala’s first innings.
Delhi earn three points after Gujarat match ends in draw
Delhi bounced back from their opening-round defeat to Bengal by earning three points against Gujarat at Palam B Ground. The match ended in a draw, with Delhi gaining the points on the basis of their first-innings lead.Delhi’s first-innings total of 648/6 declared proved decisive. Ayush Badoni scored 217, while Priyansh Arya made 199 off 221 balls. Arya was named Player of the Match for his innings.Gujarat, who had topped the standings after the first round, resumed their first innings at 363/5 on the final day. They added 116 runs before being bowled out for 479 in 174.1 overs.Manan Hingrajia, who was unbeaten on 108 overnight, went on to score 123 off 303 balls. Captain Chintan Gaja also extended his overnight score of 41 to 82, but Gujarat still conceded a first-innings deficit of 169 runs.Delhi’s Hrithik Shokeen took five wickets for 143 runs, while Sumit Mathur claimed two. Delhi enforced the follow-on, and Gujarat reached 15/1 in eight overs in their second innings before the match was drawn.Delhi earned three points to move to sixth place in the eight-team standings, while Gujarat collected one point.
Harjas, Emanjot lead Punjab to seven-wicket win
Punjab’s spinners Harjas Singh and Emanjot Singh Chahal took three wickets each to help their team beat Chhattisgarh by seven wickets in their Group B Ranji Trophy match in Mullanpur on Wednesday.After scoring 456 in their first innings, Punjab bowled Chhattisgarh out for 206 and enforced the follow-on. The visitors put up a stronger fight in their second innings, scoring 335, but that left Punjab with a target of just 86 runs.Punjab completed the chase in 16.5 overs, losing three wickets on the way to victory.
Hyderabad beat Andhra by 267 runs
Hyderabad secured a 267-run victory over Andhra in Mulapadu. Left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan took six wickets for 35 runs on the final day as Andhra were bowled out for 130.
Saurashtra settle for three points against Karnataka
Saurashtra earned three points against Karnataka in Alur after taking a narrow first-innings lead. It was the second consecutive match in which Saurashtra finished with three points.Karnataka declared their second innings at 243/7, setting Saurashtra a target of 237. With limited time left in the match, Saurashtra chose to secure the points rather than push for an outright win.Saurashtra finished at 137/2 in their second innings, with Chirag Jani unbeaten on 63 off 117 balls.
Mumbai thrash Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs
Mumbai recorded their second consecutive bonus-point victory in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D, beating Himachal Pradesh by an innings and 97 runs in Bilaspur on Wednesday.Mumbai declared their first innings at 528/8, with Sarfaraz Khan scoring 154 and Akash Anand making 117. In reply, Himachal Pradesh were bowled out for 140.Mumbai took a first-innings lead of 388 runs and then dismissed the hosts for 291 in their second innings to seal the victory.
