Ranji Trophy 2022-23: Rahane, Shorey slam double-hundreds, Meghalaya humble Sikkim
The second-round matches of the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy are underway and Day 2 of the same witnessed some exciting action. Former Indian vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane's double-ton was the headline of the day's play. His Mumbai teammate Sarfaraz Khan also smashed a fine century. Delhi's Dhruv Shorey also struck a double-ton. Meanwhile, some games also witnessed conclusions on Day 2. Here's the day report.
Double-ton from Ajinkya Rahane
Rahane's double-hundred was recorded vs Hyderabad. He arrived at number four with the scorecard reading 176/2. The Mumbai skipper added 206 runs alongside youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal, who also scored a brilliant 195-ball 162. Sarfaraz also contributed with a brilliant ton. He scored 126 off 161 balls. Suryakumar Yadav also made a fiery 90. As a result, Mumbai declared their first innings at 651/6.
Dhruv Shorey shines for Delhi
Delhi posted 439 while batting first in the Group B match against Assam. While most of their batters struggled, opener Dhruv Shorey stood up as a one-man army. He batted aggressively and scored an unbeaten 315-ball 252 (4s: 34, 6s: 2). No other batter from the Delhi camp could cross the 45-run mark. For Assam, Sidharth Sarmah and Mrinmoy Dutta scalped three wickets apiece.
Sanju Samson, Sachin Baby shine for Kerala
After conceding 337 vs Rajasthan, Kerala were reeling at 31/3. However, in walked skipper Sanju Samson and he steadied the ship alongside Sachin Baby. The duo added 145 runs for the fourth wicket for Samson perished for 82. Meanwhile, Baby brought up a fine ton (109*) as Kerala finished the day at 268/8. Aniket Choudhary took three wickets for Rajasthan during the day.
Meghalaya humble Sikkim in low-scoring thriller
Meghalaya thrashed Sikkim by 10 wickets in the Plate-group contest. Sikkim posted 140 while batting first and in reply, Meghalaya could only manage 153, earning a paltry 13-run lead. Sikkim got bundled out for 90 in their second outing, setting a 78-run target. Meghalaya crossed the line without breaking a sweat. Rajesh Bishnoi Jr. took nine wickets in the game.
Five-for for Shahbaz Ahmed
Bengal have tightened their grip over Himachal Pradesh in the Group A contest. After posting 310 while batting first, Bengal bundled HP out for 130, earning a 180-run first-innings lead. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed starred for them with a five-wicket haul (5/32). Bengal, standing in their second innings, ended the day at 89/1. They lead by 269 runs.
A look at other key results
Uttar Pradesh need four wickets to hand Nagaland an innings defeat. The latter team trails by 371 runs. Punjab's Baltej Singh recorded 6/58 vs Railways. Gujarat's Siddharth Desai claimed 6/38 against Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh thrashed Chandigarh by an innings and 125 runs. Karnataka's Ankit Sharma also scalped a six-fer (6/60) vs Puducherry. Tamil Nadu's Sai Sudharsan slammed 113 vs Andhra.
