Ranji Trophy: Prasidh's spell, Mayank's fifty highlights of day 1 of QFs; KL underwhelms
New Delhi, February 7
Fiery spells from Prasidh Krishna and Shreyas Gopal and half-centuries from Mayank Agarwal and Ricky Bhui were the highlights on day one of the quarterfinals in the Ranji Trophy on Saturday.
The quarterfinal between Karnataka and Mumbai saw the latter skittled out for 120 runs despite a half-century from Akhil Herwadkar (60). Big names such as Yashasvi Jaiswal (5), Musheer Khan (1), Siddesh Lad (12), skipper Shardul Thakur (16) flopped big time as only Akhil crossed the 20-run mark.
Shreyas (3/4), Prasidh (3/21) and Vidhwath Kaverappa (3/38) produced fine three-wicket hauls.
Karnataka in the first innings, started with a 50-run stand between KL Rahul (28 in 26 balls, with six fours) and Mayank. Skipper Devdutt Padikkal (17) fell, but Mayank (54* in 81 balls, with eight fours and a six) and Karun Nair (3*), unbeaten, carried on Karnataka to 110/2 till day's end.
In the other clash between Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, Bengal opted to bowl, and it was Srikar Bharat (47 in 57 balls, with nine fours), Shaik Rasheed (46 in 75 balls, with nine fours) and Bhui, the skipper (83 in 174 balls, with eight fours and three sixes) who played vital knocks while Nitish Kumar Reddy (33 in 99 balls, with three fours) stretched AP to 264/6, with Mukesh Kumar (three wickets) and Akash Deep (two wickets) being among the wickets.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a neutral fan, it's fantastic to see the Ranji Trophy producing such competitive cricket. The battle between Karnataka's bowling and Mumbai's batting was intense. Ricky Bhui's knock for Andhra was also very gritty under pressure.
KL Rahul's 28 off 26 was flashy but he needs to convert these starts, especially as a senior player. Mayank Agarwal showed how it's done with a solid, unbeaten fifty. Hope he carries on tomorrow and gets a big one for Karnataka!
Mumbai all out for 120? Shocking performance from a team with so much talent. Yashasvi, Musheer... everyone failed except Akhil. This is why Ranji Trophy is so important - it separates the consistent players from the flashy ones.
Respect to Ricky Bhui for that captain's knock of 83. Leading from the front when the team needed it. Andhra has a fighting total on the board because of him. Bengal's bowlers, especially Mukesh Kumar, will have to work hard tomorrow.
The quality of fast bowling in domestic cricket keeps improving. Prasidh, Vidhwath, Mukesh, Akash Deep... all putting their hands up. This depth is what makes the Indian team so strong. Great to see.
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