Debutants power Punjab to an impressive win over Assam

Punjab sure have thrown up some impressive debutants in their Ranji pre-quarterfinal against Assam played at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali. If it was Ishan Malhatra who impressed on the first two days, Friday found his new-ball partner Harish Puri warming the cockles of the discerning. The fast bowler claimed 5 for 66 in the Assam second innings as the tourists slumped to a ten-wicket defeat in under three days. Punjab now move into the quarter-finals of the premier domestic tournament in the country.

In the morning, Assam, resuming at 53 for two, lost opener Anurag Das almost immediately. A 47-run fifth wicket stand between wicketkeeper Syed Zuffri (40) and Sumit Ranjan Das (31), and a 32 from Gautam Datta, were the only bright spots in an otherwise pathetic Assam reply. These cameos ensured that the visitors at least avoided the embarassment of an innings defeat. This though was replaced by the none-too-pleasurable feeling associated with a ten-wicket thumping as the Punjab openers duly notched up the 14 runs required to seal their team's quarterfinal berth.

Gandhi puts Bengal in command

A Devang Gandhi hundred saw Bengal secure the vital first innings lead in their match against Rajasthan at the KL Saini Ground, Jaipur. Gandhi's 146 and an unbeaten 99 from No. 5 Subhomoy Das was responsible for guiding Bengal, who resumed at 122 for 2, to the comfort zone of 409 for six.

The morning's play saw Gandhi and his captain Rohan Gavaskar, the overnight not out batsmen, make a slow yet steady beginning. The two put on 108 runs for the third wicket before Gavaskar was dismissed. Das and Gandhi then got together in what was to prove the brightest partnership of the day. The two were only together for 23 overs but in that period added another 108 runs before Gandhi departed. Bengal lost a further wicket but with Das looking good on 99 and a fair bit of batting to come, Bengald would be setting their sights on a massive first-innings score which would pave their way towards securing an outright win.

Gambhir hundred sees Delhi make steady progress

Delhi were marching steadily towards achieving their goal of securing the all-important first innings lead in their match against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi. Opener Gautam Gambhir was the man leading the march; he was batting on 142 off 315 balls. His opening partner Akash Chopra too was among the runs scoring 62 before being bowled.

With two more days to go, Delhi, currently 262 for three, have enough time to overhaul the Railways score of 497. The first session on Saturday will though prove crucial and a couple of wickets to Railways will bring them right back into the game.

Tamil Nadu batsmen lead fightback against Mumbai

The Tamil Nadu and Mumbai tie at the Guru Nanak College Ground, Chennai was always going to be a closely contested affair. So it came as no surprise to see the home team bounce right back into the game after conceding a four-run lead in the first innings. Fifties from opener Sridharan Sriram and middle-order bat Sridharan Sharath saw them post a relatively healthy 265 for eight in their second innings. This has already meant that the Mumbai batsmen will have to better their first innings effort by a long way if they are to book their quarterfinal berth.

When the day began, the Tamil Nadu batsmen were faced with the task of batting out of the day and putting runs on the board thereby ensuring their team had the chance of securing the outright win they were looking for. Sriram (61) and No.3 C Hemath Kumar, who made 35, put their team in the right direction. J Madanagopal (45) and Robin Singh (25) continued the good work as did Sharath, who made an unbeaten 50. Tamil Nadu will now be looking to him to probably take them beyond the 300-run mark as this would leave the visitors with a stiff target in this low-scoring match. For Mumbai, spinners Rajesh Pawar, Ramesh Powar and Sairaj Bahatule claimed two wickets each.

Gujarat on top against Andhra

Andhra batsmen frittered away good starts as the visitors lost their way while pursuing Gujarat's first-innings score of 499. When stumps were drawn at the end of the third day's play at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad, Andhra were 251 for six. Former India wicketkeeper MSK Prasad, batting on 33, and the late-order batsmen were left with the herculean task of adding another 249 runs to secure the first-innings lead that would help Andhra continue their fairytale run this season.

In the morning, Mohammad Faiq, who made 71, was the only Andhra batsman to notch up a fifty. GN Shrinivas (34) and Y Venugopal Rao (37) might have been among the runs but they could not convert it into a innings of substance. Just when Andhra seeemed down and out, the Prasads - MSK and RVC - put together a 63-run partnership to give their team a glimmer of hope. RVC on 29 was keeping MSK company when stumps were drawn. For Gujarat, Kalpesh Patel returned figures of five for 48 off 25 overs.

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