Agarwal's heroics guide MP to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals: Stats
What's the story
Anubhav Agarwal was the pick of the bowlers for Madhya Pradesh on Day 4 against Andhra in the 2024 Ranji Trophy quarter-final. The seamer finished with career-best figures of 6/52, claiming only his second five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. His heroics helped Madhya Pradesh restrict Andhra to only 165, winning by four runs in a low-scoring thriller. MP progressed to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals.
Spell
A game-changing spell from Agarwal
Agarwal returned with 3/33 in the first innings. However, he stepped up even further in the second outing. The seamer claimed two wickets on Day 3 and returned for the rest the following day. He trapped Karan Shinde right before the stumps before removing the well-settled Hanuma Vihari. Later, he dismissed Shoaib Khan and Girinath Reddy to complete his six-wicket haul.
2024 Ranji Trophy
A decent outing for Agarwal in 2024 Ranji Trophy
Agarwal has been excellent for MP throughout the 2024 Ranji Trophy campaign. He has returned with 24 wickets from seven matches at an impressive average of 13.87. He owns a solitary fifer along with a four-wicket haul. The 27-year-old has taken fewer wickets than MP regulars Kumar Kartikeya (38), Saransh Jain (27), and Kulwant Khejroliya (26) in the ongoing season.
Wickets
50 First-Class wickets for Agarwal
With his second-innings heroics against Andhra, Agarwal has raced to 55 wickets from 20 First-Class matches at an average of 19.50. Apart from two fifers, the seamer has also claimed two four-wicket hauls in red-ball cricket. The 27-year-old made his FC debut for MP in 2022 against Meghalaya. He has been a regular for the team this season.
Summary
Here's the match summary
MP batted first and compiled a total of 234 in the first innings courtesy of Yash Dubey's fifty and contributions from Himanshu Mantri and Jain. KV Sashikanth starred with 4/37. In reply, Andhra were bowled out for 172 courtesy of six wickets shared between Kartikeya and Agarwal. In the second innings, MP folded for 107. But chasing 170, Andhra fell short by five runs.