Karnataka are set for a big victory over Team Rajasthan after a power-packed performance on the third day of their Group B match at Vizianagarm. Table toppers Jharkhand thrashed Saurashtra by an innings and 46 runs to secure an outright victory with a bonus point while Maharashtra followed suit by completely outplaying Vidarbha after Anupam Sanklecha once again took seven wickets in an innings to take his overall match tally to 14 wickets.
Group B, Round-up Day 3Saurashtra vs Jharkhand in Agartala: Saurashtra 277/10 (Jaydev Shah 51, Prerak Mankad 96; Ashish Kumar 4/52, Shahbaz Nadeem 3/) & 144 (Prerak Mankad 40*, Samar Quadri 4/46) lost to Jharkhand 467 (Ishank Jaggi 173, Ishan Kishan 136, Kushang Patel 5/95) by an innings and 46 runs
Last season’s finalist Saurashtra had a forgettable outing against Jharkhand at Agartala after being completely outplayed in three departments of the game. Jharkhand added nine more runs before being bowled out for 467 with a lead of 190 runs. It was enough as Saurashtra could only muster 144 runs in the second innings with Prerak Mankad, the only bright spot remaining unbeaten on 40. Samar Quadri picked up four wickets while Ashish Kumar took three.
Maharashtra vs Vidarbha in Kolkata: Vidarbha 59 (Shalabh Shrivastava 19; Anupam Sanklecha 7/25) & 270 (Sanjay Ramaswamy 67, Shrikant Wagh 69*; Anupam Sanklecha 7/69 lost to Maharashtra 332/10 (Naushad Shaikh 127, Ankit Bawne 111; Lalit 5 for 81, Shrikant Wagh 4 for 82) by an innings and 3 runs
Anupam Sanklecha registered his career best figures of 14 for 94 as Maharashtra beat Vidarbha by an innings and three runs to secure full seven points in the match held at the Eden Gardens. Sanklecha, whose 7/25 in the first innings had wrapped up Vidarbha innings for just 59 runs, returned to bowl another fiery spell that saw him pick seven wickets for the second time in a match.
The bowler’s staggering effort has given Maharashtra their first win of the season and they are now placed third in the group.
Karnataka vs Team Rajasthan in Vizianagarm: Karnataka 374 (KL Rahul 76, Mayank Agarwal 81; Pankaj Singh 2/82, Tanveer-ul-Haq 5/82) & 298/6d (KL Rahul 106, Mayank Agarwal 63) vs Rajasthan 148/10 (Pranay Sharma 26, Siddharth Dobral 47; Vinay Kumar 4/ 28, Sreenath Aravind 4/36) & 118/6 (Salman Khan 39, Vinay Kumar 3/45) need 407 runs with 4 wickets remaining
For the third successive day, Karnataka continued their domination over Team Rajasthan and are now closing in on a massive win. India opener KL Rahul, who missed out on a century in the first innings, once again punished Team Rajasthan bowlers and ensured he got to the triple figures off just 128 balls.
The knock also ensured his return to Team India later in the day and is now available for selection for the second Test against England at Vizag as clarified by India Head Coach, Anil Kumble. With bad light stopping play early, Karnataka need just four wickets on the final day after Team Rajasthan lost six wickets for just 118 runs. Once again, the new-ball pair of Vinay Kumar (3/45) and Arvind Sreenath (2/15) caused the most damage.
Odisha vs Assam in Hyderabad: Assam 301/10 in (K Saikia 135, KB Arun Karthick 62, B Mohanty 3/18, S Pradhan 3/90) v Odisha 449/7 (G Podder 225, Biplab Samantray 103, A Das 3/60) lead by 158 runs with 3 wickets remaining
Captain Govind Poddar registered his maiden first-class double century (225 off 364 balls) and Biplab Samantray hit 103 as Odisha secured a first innings lead against Assam and now lead by 158 runs. Poddar, who resumed on overnight score of 81 batted for 364 balls in a marathon effort lasted 518 minutes. While the match seemed to be heading for a draw, Odisha would be content with their effort that helped the secure a lead.
