Vadodara, Jan 13: The Ranji Trophy final was delicately poised on Day 3 of the match with Baroda finishing at 324/8, just 70 runs short of Rajasthan’s first innings score of 394. Baroda’s heroes today were Aditya Waghmode and Pinal Shah, both of whom struck half centuries to keep their side’s chances of gaining a vital first innings lead over Rajasthan alive.
Baroda began the day from their overnight score of 73/1. Opener Jaykishan Kolsawala, who had ended Day 2 with an unbeaten score of 46, brought up the first milestone of the day when he posted his half-century. A double strike then put the brakes on Baroda’s progress - both Kolsawala (64) and Kedar Devdhar (19) fell in successive overs to legspinner Vivek Yadav. Ambati Rayudu went next (12), trapped plumb in front by Rajasthan’s star bowler for the season, Deepak Chahar. At 136/4, still 258 runs behind Rajasthan’s first innings score, Baroda had a mountain to climb.
But things improved from here on for Baroda as both Waghmode and Shah defied Rajasthan’s bowlers. The two put on 90 runs for the fifth wicket with Waghmode bringing up his half-century. Wahmode eventually fell to Yadav’s legbreaks, caught superbly by Hrishikesh Kanitkar at cover, for a well made 52.
The post-Tea session saw Baroda go through some anxious moments as they lost their sixth, seventh and eighth wickets in the space of just nine overs. Shah, who played a captain’s knock of 77 runs, was one of the wickets to fall in this period. However, some combative rearguard action from Sankalp Vohra (16*) and Murtuja Vahora (21*), who put on a 36-run partnership for the ninth wicket, helped Baroda close the day on an optimistic note with the score at 324/8.
Brief Score: Rajasthan 1st innings 394 in 147.1 overs (Robin Bist 77, Bhargav Bhatt 5/103) and Baroda 1st innings 324/8 in 120 overs (Pinal Shah 77, Vivek Yadav 4/73).
