File photo – Malolan Rangarajan spun Tamil Nadu to their first win of the season as Railways succumbed from a strong position © ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Railways collapsed dramatically on the final day in Bilaspur as Tamil Nadu won by 174 runs – their first win of the season. Railways had picked up a 52-run first-innings lead. Tamil Nadu made up for their abject first-innings performance with 452 for 8 declared, courtesy centuries from captain Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik. Set 401, Railways had ended the third day on 108 for no loss, but crumbled for 226 in 57.2 overs on the final day. Railways lost Shivakant Shukla on his overnight score of 52 off the fourth ball of the day, and from there on, it was a continuous slide. Saurabh Wakaskar, who resumed on 54, struck 120 for his sixth first-class century, but the rest could not deliver and Railways lost their last five wickets for four runs. Offspinner Malolan Rangarajan led the wreckage, finishing with 4 for 37.
At the CH Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli, Madhya Pradesh folded for 180 in their second innings to give Punjab a 126-run win. Punjab had declared on 175 for 9, having taken a first-innings lead of 131. Set a target of 307, MP had lost Mukul Raghav off the last ball of the previous day. Resuming on 26 for 1, they soon found themselves 74 for 4. Devendra Bundela (32), the captain, and Shubham Sharma, who top-scored with 37, got together for a 50-run stand, but that was about as much resistance as MP could offer. Manpreet Gony (4 for 41) and Siddarth Kaul (3 for 42), Punjab’s new-ball bowlers, did the bulk of the damage.
The match between Baroda and Mumbai at the Palam Grounds in New Delhi was a draw. Mumbai had eked out a lead of 18 runs in a thrilling end to their first innings, responding to Baroda’s 305 with 323, thanks to Akhil Herwadkar’s century.
The final day began with Baroda on 321 for 5 in their second innings, and Deepak Hooda, batting on 66, and Swapnil Singh, unbeaten on 5, at the crease. Baroda added 62 more and declared on 383 for 5, after Hooda raised his fifth first-class century.
Mumbai began strongly through their top three, with Herwadkar and Jay Bista (49) putting on 68 for the opening wicket, and Shreyas Iyer scoring 46 at No. 3. Suryakumar Yadav and Armaan Jaffer fell early, but Aditya Tare, the captain, saw off the remaining overs in the company of Abhishek Nayar. Tare was not out on 63 and Mumbai were 224 for 5 when stumps were drawn.
Bengal collected first-innings points against Uttar Pradesh after playing out a draw at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Bengal had put up 466 in the first innings, courtesy centuries from Abhimanyu Easwaran and Manoj Tiwary. UP narrowly missed the first-innings lead, getting bowled out for 410, after which Bengal ended the third day on 30 for no loss. Easwaran struck his second century of the match and stayed not out on 110, while Shreevats Goswami also scored a century of his own. After Goswami’s dismissal, for an even 100, Bengal declared on 274 for 6. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with 4 for 107.
Tanmay Shrivastava and Almas Saukat, the UP openers, batted out 20 overs before UP went to stumps on 70 for no loss.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo