A round-up of the final day of Group C matches in the fifth round of the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy
ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2016Saxena ruled out of next round with fractured finger
Kerala allrounder Jalaj Saxena will miss his team’s next match, against Goa, after sustaining a double fracture on his left index finger during the Group C game against Haryana in Jaipur. He sustained the injury while fielding in Haryana’s first innings and didn’t come out to bat. Saxena, however, bowled 22 overs in Haryana’s second innings and took two wickets as Kerala, armed with a first-innings lead of 101 runs, pushed for an outright win.
“I had to bowl in the second innings to try and push for quick wickets to give us a chance of an outright win,” Saxena told ESPNcricinfo. “So I taped the finger heavily and took painkillers, and tried to bowl.
“It’s a double fracture and I have been advised rest for at least two weeks. There is considerable swelling on my finger at the moment. The doctors will then take a call on what needs to be done afterwards.”
Saxena is Kerala’s second-highest wicket-taker, behind KS Monish, with 17 wickets from five games. With Kerala in fifth place in a congested Group C points table, Saxena said he hoped to play the game against Andhra, which begins on November 21 in Guwahati. “There is no chance of playing in the next match, but I will tape my finger and take injections to play the one after that,” he said. “Every match is important, especially as we are at a stage where an outright win can change the complexion of the points table.”
Goa spinners Shadab Jakati and Darshan Misal ran through the Chhattisgarh batting line-up before reaching their target of 91 to clinch an eight-wicket victory in Cuttack. In an innings that had as many as seven ducks, the joint-most in a single Ranji Trophy innings, Chhattisgarh slumped from 148 for 3 to 162 all out, with opener Sahil Gupta top-scoring with 82. Samar Dubhashi steered Goa’s chase with an unbeaten 41 to deliver their first win of the season. Chhattisgarh, who started with a victory, slumped to their second successive loss which left them in the bottom half of the pool.At the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, Robin Bist steered Himachal Pradesh to a five-wicket win over Jammu & Kashmir with an unbeaten half-century. J&K had conceded a first-innings lead of 208, but put up an improved show in their second innings, ending the third day on 337 for 4. Puneet Bisht, who resumed on 33, and Mithun Manhas, unbeaten on 18, scored 41 and 28 respectively, while Samiullah Beigh chipped in with 46 before J&K’s innings ended on 417. Bipul Sharma, the left-arm spinner, took 4 for 97. Set 210, Prashant Chopra (43) and Ankit Kalsi (47) repaired Himachal’s innings after the early loss of Ankush Bains for 8, before Bist, who walked in at 91 for 3, took them over the line with 52 off 67 balls.Andhra squandered a strong start to concede the first-innings lead in their drawn match against Services at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, owing to offspinner Azaruddin Bloch’s maiden five-wicket haul in his third match. Andhra had ended the third day on 177 for 1 in reply to Services’ 446, with Prasanth Kumar on 90 and KR Sreekanth unbeaten on 24. Sreekanth was dismissed on the same score in the first over of the day. Thereafter, Hanuma Vihari, who had retired hurt on 18, returned and added 57 with Prasanth, before being stumped for 54 off Bloch. Prasanth completed his century, scoring 110, but the rest of Andhra’s batsmen, with the exception of AG Pradeep (76) were dismissed for single-digit scores. Bloch ended with 5 for 92. Services raced away to 27 for no loss in six overs before stumps were drawn.Nitin Saini’s career-best 152 not out studded Haryana’s dominant batting display, but they conceded first-innings points to Kerala at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Kerala had responded to Haryana’s first-innings 303 with 404 for 9 declared. Haryana then ended the third day on 6 for no loss. They ended the final day on 315 for 3, with Saini sharing partnerships of 145 for the third wicket with Rajat Paliwal (75) and Mohit Hooda (50 not out).