Hyderabad on the verge of relegation by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	Nehru Stadium, Guwahati, Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi, Khandheri Cricket Stadium, Rajkot
Scorecard:	Assam v Andhra, Bengal v Delhi, Hyderabad v Tamil Nadu, Mumbai v Gujarat, Railways v Punjab, Saurashtra v Karnataka
Player:	DS Jadhav, P Bisht, A Mukund, S Badrinath, PA Patel, BD Thaker, U Kaul, R Sharma, CR Pathak
Event:	Ranji Trophy 2009/10

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DateLine: 18th December 2009

 

Super League

 

Tamil Nadu versus Hyderabad

 

Abhinav Mukund (257) and Badrinath (122) of Tamil Nadu virtually pushed Hyderabad closer to the brink of relegation to the Ranji Trophy Plate Group. At close of play on the third day, Tamil Nadu posted an imposing 594 for six in reply to Hyderabad’s 347 — taking a huge lead of 247 runs in the Super League match at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Mukund's innings (257) which included forty boundaries and one six served as a reminder of his growing stature in the domestic circuit.

 

It was huge surprise to many that Badrinath (122) who is considered as batsman who goes at leisurely pace batting aggressively. Vishal Sharma was picked up for special treatment as Badrinath walloped him for three sixes and two fours in the space of two overs. The Mukund-Badri combine put on 259 runs for the third wicket off just 314 balls. The massive stand also dashed whatever faint hopes Hyderabad had of coming back into the game.

 

Gujarat versus Mumbai

 

Skipper Parthiv Patel and Bhavik Thaker scored unbeaten tons to help Gujarat post 432 for three in reply to Mumbai’s imposing 648 on the third day of their Ranji Trophy Super League ‘A’ match. The two batsmen put on an unbeaten 264-run stand for the fourth wicket in 70.2 overs. Gujarat trails by 216 runs with a day’s play to go.

 

Punjab versus Railways

 

Punjab left-hander Uday Kaul ensured his team’s passage to the next stage with a superb century that left Railways with no answers in the Ranji Trophy super league match at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Kaul was supported by Rahul Sharma, who followed up his six for 92 performance with a brilliant innings of 79 even as Kaul, 46 overnight, completed a century to leave his mark on the contest. Punjab, which resumed at 154 for four in reply to Railways’ total of 276, managed a first innings lead of 125 runs. Railways, needing a victory to qualify for the knockout stage, was 16 for one at close.

 

Saurashtra versus Karnataka

 

Saurashtra got better of the Karnataka bowling unit as they scored 389 for eight in the Group B Ranji Trophy Super League encounter at the Khanderi Stadium. Saurashtra scored at nearly 3.7 an over in 90.2 overs.

 

Left-hander Chirag Pathak (88) and Sagar Jogiyani (45) put on 132 to set the perfect platform for the middle and lower order to sustain the fight. Pathak showed a big heart after being hit on the neck and forearm to continue the battle and proceeded to go past the 600-run mark in six matches. Cheteshwar Pujara (66), Pratik Mehta (66) and Vishal Joshi (45) also put in healthy contributions.

 

Delhi versus Bengal

 

Delhi continued to put up a strong fight to avoid follow-on against Bengal as Puneet Bisht scored an unbeaten 103 at the Jadavpur University 2nd Campus. At close on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy group ‘B’ Super League match, Delhi finished at 348 for seven in reply to Bengal’s 522 and needed 24 runs more to make the host bat again.

 

The 23-year-old wicketkeeper not only hit his third first class hundred in his 29th game but also went past the 1,000-run mark in his career. Giving him company was Ishant Sharma unbeaten on 16.

 

Plate League

 

Andhra Pradesh versus Assam

 

Andhra wasted a golden opportunity as they slipped in their second innings after a rousing start and ended the third day of the four-day Ranji Trophy Plate Division semifinal match at 153 for five at the Nehru Stadium. Andhra was 40 runs ahead with five wickets in hand. Earlier, Assam, resuming at 235 for six, added 92 valuable runs in the morning before being all out for 327. Assam opening batsman Dheeraj Jadhav carried his bat through for a superb 165 his 14th first-class century.