Shaw and Pujara shine with centuries on the opening day
Prithvi Shaw notched up a swift 159 against Chhattisgarh © Getty
GROUP A
Ankit Kumar’s brilliant 109 and Himanshu Rana’s solid 82 laid a strong foundation for Haryana against Jharkhand in Jamshedpur, propelling them to 338/6 by the end of Day 1 in their Ranji encounter.
Their formidable 145-run partnership for the second wicket set the tone, although Jharkhand managed to strike back with quick wickets.
However, Rahul Tewatia’s unbeaten 51 bolstered Haryana’s total past the 300-mark, indicating further promise.
Vidarbha’s collective bowling effort stifled Maharashtra, restricting them to a mere 208 in Pune.
Manoj Ingale’s 36, coming in at No. 11, emerged as the highest individual score for the home team.
In response, Vidarbha cruised to 111/1 at stumps, with Dhruv Shorey leading the charge with an unbeaten 55.
In Jaipur, Cheteshwar Pujara spearheaded Saurashtra’s batting prowess on Day 1 against Rajasthan, crafting a masterful 110 off 230 balls.
Sheldon Jackson’s resilient unbeaten 78 off 176 further bolstered their side, guiding them to 242/4 at stumps.
Despite early setbacks at 74/3, the duo’s commanding 168-run partnership rescued Saurashtra from a precarious position.
Varun Choudhary and Poonam Poonia wreaked havoc with three wickets each as Manipur crumbled to a paltry 67 against Services in Ahmedabad.
Ravi Chauhan’s unbeaten 87 and skipper Rajat Paliwal’s resolute 62 steered Services to 191/3 by the close of play, firmly in control of the proceedings.
GROUP B
In his second match back in competitive cricket, Prithvi Shaw left a significant mark by scoring a brisk 159, powering Mumbai’s batting against Chhattisgarh in Raipur.
Bhupen Lalwani offered valuable support to Shaw with his own century, striking 102 runs and contributing to a formidable 244-run opening partnership, propelling Mumbai to 310/4 by the end of the day’s play.
Sachin Baby continued his impressive form with a crucial unbeaten 110 against Bengal in Thumba, aiding Kerala’s recovery after a shaky start at 112/4.
Baby’s resilient innings, coupled with Akshay Chandran’s unbeaten 76, steered Kerala to a commanding 265/4, courtesy of their unbroken 153-run partnership.
Andhra found themselves struggling at 63/3 against Uttar Pradesh in Vizianagaram before resilient knocks from KV Sasikanth (72), Ricky Bhui (90*), and Karan Shinde (45*) stabilized their innings, guiding them to a more respectable position at 236/4 by stumps.
In Guwahati, Parvej Musaraf’s 89 and Abhishek Thakuri’s unbeaten 77* led the charge for Assam on the opening day against Bihar.
Their efforts propelled the hosts to 235/5 at stumps, setting a solid foundation for their innings.
GROUP C
Sai Kishore’s three-wicket haul and two dismissals by Ajith Ram provided Tamil Nadu with crucial breakthroughs, but Devdutt Padikkal’s stellar performance ensured that Karnataka seized the honors on the opening day in Chennai.
Padikkal’s unbeaten 151, coupled with a century partnership alongside R Samarth (57), followed by an unbroken 54-run stand with Hardik Raj, propelled Karnataka to a strong position as they finished the day at 288/5.
Priyank Panchal (77) and Aditya Patel (58) laid a solid foundation with a 145-run opening stand for Gujarat, but Punjab fought back strongly, led by three-wicket hauls from Siddarth Kaul and Arshdeep Singh.
Gujarat found themselves at 250/8 by the close of play in Mohali.
Railways made steady progress with Upendra Yadav’s resilient 91 and Suraj Ahuja’s composed 81, but Goa managed to strike at regular intervals, ensuring a balanced opening day’s play in Surat.
Railways concluded the day at 293/9.
Chandigarh staged a remarkable recovery from a top-order collapse against Tripura in Chandigarh, courtesy of Manan Vohra’s splendid 134 and Ankit Kaushik’s gritty 76.
Despite being 34/4 at one stage, the hosts rallied strongly to reach 282/6 by the end of Day 1, thanks to a crucial 179-run partnership between Vohra and Kaushik.
GROUP D
Sidak Singh’s impressive five-wicket haul for Puducherry set the tone for a day dominated by bowlers, with two more five-wicket hauls coming from Abid Mushtaq and Vanshaj Sharma for Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in a total of 21 wickets falling on the opening day in Puducherry.
Jammu and Kashmir were dismissed for 106, and despite fifties from Paras Dogra and Arun Karthik, the hosts only managed to reach 172 before their innings concluded.
Puducherry also made an early breakthrough in the second innings.
Madhya Pradesh enjoyed a fruitful day with the bat against Baroda in Indore, finishing at 314/6 by stumps.
Himanshu Mantri’s century, supported by Shubham Sharma’s half-century and valuable contributions from the lower middle order, propelled their innings.
Despite Himmat Singh and Ayush Badoni’s efforts with the bat, Delhi were bowled out for 264 against Himachal Pradesh in Dharamsala, with Vinay Galetiya claiming a five-wicket haul.
The hosts lost an early wicket in their reply, ending the day at 24/1.
Uttarakhand showcased resilient batting through Vaibhav Bhatt’s unbeaten century (101*) and Jiwanjot Singh’s solid 90, guiding them to a promising position after early setbacks in Cuttack.
The visitors finished the day at 232/3, ending on a positive note.
PLATE GROUP
Centuries by Tanmay Agarwal and Tilak Varma, accompanied by a half-century from Rohit Rayudu, propelled Hyderabad to a commanding position in their Plate semifinal against Nagaland in Hyderabad.
The hosts concluded the day at 383/5 at stumps, showcasing their dominance with the bat.
Meanwhile, in the other semifinal clash held in Mangaldoi, Aryan Bora’s outstanding six-wicket haul guided Meghalaya as they restricted Mizoram to a modest 144 despite Agni Chopra’s half-century.
Meghalaya faced a few hiccups in their reply, losing wickets at regular intervals to end the day at 115/5.
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