Teams share opening-day honours despite Panchal's 105

Stumps India Red 232 for 5 (Panchal 105, Chatterjee 52) v India Green

Priyank Panchal caresses the ball through cover © AFP

Honours were shared on the opening day of the 2017 domestic season after part-timers Karun Nair and M Vijay shared four wickets for India Green to neutralise India Red’s strong start to the first Duleep Trophy encounter in Lucknow.

The pink-ball tournament’s opener saw Priyank Panchal, who scored five hundreds in the 2016/17 Ranji Trophy, continue his domestic-cricket rampage with his 12th first-class century to lead India Red’s charge, who opted to bat after winning the toss.

Panchal motored on after an opening stand of 83 with Sudip Chatterjee, who also notched up his 13th first-class fifty as the India Green bowlers were made to toil for the day’s first two sessions.

The opening partnership was broken in the 32nd over when fast bowler Aniket Choudhary bowled Bengal opener Chatterjee. The usually free-flowing Ishank Jaggi (23) played second-fiddle thereafter to Panchal, as the duo added 75 for the second wicket, with India Red’s five front-line bowlers failing to effect another dismissal.

But just as India Red looked set to post a big first-innings total, the part-time offspin of Vijay sniped Jaggi out. Nair’s innocuous offbreaks then accounted for Panchal’s wicket in the 77th over – with the team’s total one short of 200 – and dismissed Rahul Singh for four only three balls later. Vijay collected his second wicket late in the day when Rishabh Pant, batting on 11, edged one to the keeper in 83rd over, before an unbeaten partnership of 11 between the captain Dinesh Karthik (15*) and Krishnappa Gowtham (10*) saw the day off without any further casualties.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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