The second day of the fifth round of the Ranji Trophy will go down in the history books as Goa’s Kauthankar and Kashyap Bakle did something outlandish. The duo put up an astounding unbeatable stand of 606 runs in just 448 balls, thus mustering the highest ever partnership in Ranji Trophy history. They did it against Arunachal Pradesh in Panaji. Apart from this, Mohammed Shami announced his return after going wicketless on Day 1. Meanwhile, Group A toppers Baroda continued their superb run as they beat Meghalaya by an innings and 261 runs.
World record by Goa!
Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy witnessed a historic feat as Goa’s opening pair, Snehal Kauthankar and Kashyap Bakle, etched their names in the record books. Their unbeaten 606-run partnership is the second-highest in first-class cricket history, trailing only the legendary 624-run stand by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.
The duo’s dominance was unparalleled, with both batters scoring triple centuries. Kauthankar’s 314 runs came off just 206 balls, making it the second-fastest triple century by an Indian. Bakle, on the other hand, made a memorable first-class debut with a composed 300 runs. Goa declared their innings at a mammoth 727/2, setting an imposing target for Arunachal Pradesh. Ultimately, Goa won the tie with an innings and 551 runs.
Mohammed Shami is back and how!
Indian pace spearhead Mohammed Shami made a triumphant return to competitive cricket, playing for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy against Madhya Pradesh. After a prolonged injury layoff, Shami showcased his class, picking up four crucial wickets to restrict MP to 167 runs. His return to form is a much-needed boost for the Indian team, especially ahead of the crucial Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. Shami’s ability to extract movement from the pitch and his relentless accuracy were on full display, as he dismantled the MP batting lineup in Indore.
The match, however, remains in balance as Bengal currently have a lead of 231 runs, with keeper Writtick Chatterjee currently unbeaten at 33. Anubhav Agarwal has taken three wickets so far for MP.
RCB-released Mahipal Lomror shines!
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player Mahipal Lomror continued his stellar Ranji Trophy season with a breathtaking triple century for Rajasthan against Uttarakhand. His aggressive batting display, that saw powerful strokes and innovative shots, showcased his potential as a future IPL star. Lomror’s impressive form might have caught the eye of several IPL franchises, and he could be a valuable asset in the upcoming IPL auction.
Against Himachal, Lomror scored 99, and in the last match against Hyderabad, he went on to score 111. Apart from that he is the second highest run-scorer this year in the Ranji Trophy with 529 in only 5 matches, at an average of 105.80. He has also hit a staggering 19 sixes in this season, joint-highest with J&Ks Abdul Samad. Due his incredible 300*, Rajasthan declared their innings at 660/7.
Ranji Trophy Round 5 Day 2 Brief Scores
- Odisha 200 all out | Maharashtra 162 all out & 78/3
- Chhattisgarh 214/4 | Assam 289 all out
- Baroda beat Meghalaya by an innings and 261 runs
- Jammu & Kashmir 175 all out & 170/7 | Tripura 165 all out
- Services 240 all out | Mumbai 253/8
- Vidarbha 202/2 | Gujarat 343 all out
- Himachal Pradesh 436/9d | Pondicherry 85 all out & 59/1
- Hyderabad 301 all out | Andhra 168/2
- Uttarakhand 109/2 | Rajasthan 660/7d
- UP 89 all out & 78/1 | Karnataka 275 all out
- Madhya Pradesh 167 all out vs Bengal 228 all out & 170/5
- Punjab 262/8 | Bihar 135 all out
- Haryana vs Kerala 285/8
- Chandigarh 78/5 | Saurashtra 531/9d
- Delhi vs Jharkhand 356/9
- Railways 229 all out vs Tamil Nadu 320/6
Ranji Trophy Round 5 Day 2 Brief Scores (Plate Group)
- Goa beat Arunachal Pradesh by an innings and 551 runs
- Manipur 357 all out | Sikkim 190/5
- Mizoram 5/2 | Nagaland 736/7d
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