Ayush Badoni Century Powers Delhi Against Jharkhand
Delhi captain Ayush Badoni struck his second consecutive century to guide his side to 309 for five against Jharkhand on the opening day of their Group C Ranji Trophy match in Ranchi on Monday.
After opting to bat, Delhi found themselves under pressure at 181 for five before Badoni and all-rounder Sumit Mathur combined for an unbeaten 124-run partnership for the sixth wicket to put the visitors in a strong position.
Badoni remained unbeaten on 106, continuing an impressive run of scores that includes 85, 217 and 106 not out in his last three innings. After missing out on selection for India A’s tour of New Zealand, the 26-year-old has responded with consistent performances.
Badoni, Mathur Rescue Delhi
Badoni struck 11 boundaries and two sixes, displaying assured footwork and attacking seasoned bowler Anukul Roy with shots on both sides of the wicket.
Earlier, Priyansh Arya (39) and Sanat Sangwan (37) added 56 runs for the opening wicket. Sangwan and Yash Dhull (29) then put on 43 for the second wicket, but Delhi lost wickets at regular intervals. Ayush Doseja scored 23, while Anuj Rawat made 18.
Mathur supported his captain with an unbeaten 50 off 119 deliveries, including five boundaries. Jharkhand off-spinner Pratyush Singh finished with figures of 2/63 from 24 overs.
Sarwate Strikes As Bengal Stumble
At Mangalapuram, Kerala reduced Bengal to 172 for six in a rain-curtailed opening day, with left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate claiming three wickets for 38 runs.
Ankur Paul top-scored with 66 off 80 balls as Bengal reached 102 for two before losing three wickets for six runs. Sudip Kumar Gharami (36) and Shahbaz Ahmed (35 not out) added 62 runs for the sixth wicket to steady the innings. Gharami was dismissed late in the day by Basil N.
Pulkit Narang Claims Six For Odisha
In Bhubaneswar, Services off-spinner Pulkit Narang took 6/47 to bowl Odisha out for 194. It was his second five-wicket haul in as many matches. Gourav Choudhary top-scored for Odisha with 41, while Services reached 13 without loss at stumps.
Gujarat Bowled Out For 223
At Pune, Maharashtra dismissed Gujarat for 223, with Siddhesh Veer taking four wickets and Rajvardhan Hangargekar and Vicky Ostwal claiming three each.
Abhishek Desai scored 79 and Jaymeet Patel made 58 for Gujarat. Maharashtra were 24 for one at stumps.
Brief Scores
- Ranchi: Delhi 309/5 in 90 overs (Ayush Badoni 106 not out, Sumit Mathur 50 not out).
- Mangalapuram: Bengal 172/6 in 50 overs (Ankur Paul 66, Sudip Kumar Gharami 36, Shahbaz Ahmed 35 not out; Aditya Sarwate 3/38) vs Kerala.
- Pune: Gujarat 223 in 75.5 overs (Abhishek Desai 79, Jaymeet Patel 58; Siddhesh Veer 4/20). Maharashtra 24/1.
- Bhubaneswar: Odisha 194 (Gourav Choudhary 41; Pulkit Narang 6/47). Services 13/0.
