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Priyansh Arya hits century for Delhi as Mumbai rip through Himachal in Ranji round two
The Delhi opener reached three figures off 125 balls against unbeaten Gujarat. In Bilaspur, Tushar Deshpande struck twice early and Mumbai took seven wickets before lunch.
Key points
- Priyansh Arya made a 125-ball century to take Delhi to 180 for 3 against Gujarat.
- Mumbai had Himachal Pradesh at 95 for 7 at lunch after Tushar Deshpande's double strike in the first three overs.
- Shubman Gill fell for 1 off 5 balls for Punjab, and Mohammed Shami sat out Bengal's match.
Priyansh Arya gave Delhi the start they needed after their heavy defeat in the first round, reaching a century against Group C leaders Gujarat on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy’s second round on Sunday.
The left-handed opener got to three figures off 125 balls, with 15 fours and two sixes, and Delhi were 180 for 3 shortly before 2 pm. Delhi chose to bat after winning the toss, and Arya did most of the early scoring while Sanat Sangwan held up the other end. Delhi were 58 without loss after 16 overs and passed fifty in the 13th.
The only real setback for the home side came in the middle of the day, when Ayush Doseja was run out for 29 with the score on 142 for 3. Delhi had been beaten by nine wickets by Bengal in round one, and a big first-innings total against an unbeaten Gujarat side is the obvious route back into the group.
Mumbai’s seamers run riot in Bilaspur
Mumbai, without Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ayush Mhatre, had the better of the morning against Himachal Pradesh. Tushar Deshpande, who took a hat-trick in the first round, struck with the first ball of the match and again in his next over, and Himachal were 10 for 2 after three overs.
The wickets kept coming. By lunch Mumbai had taken seven in the session, and Himachal were 95 for 7 after 29 overs, with A P Vashisht and Arpit Guleria together at the crease.
Gill out cheaply, Shami absent
The big names had a quieter day. Shubman Gill, playing for Punjab against Chhattisgarh in New Chandigarh before he leaves to lead India in New Zealand, was bowled by left-arm spinner Ajay Mandal for 1 off five balls. Captain Uday Saharan steadied Punjab with a fifty off 68 balls, and they were 143 for 3 in the 49th over.
In Delhi, Bengal batted first against Services at Palam A without Mohammed Shami. The fast bowler, who took four wickets against Delhi in the first round, had trained with the squad on Saturday and was expected to lead the attack. He was left out of both India squads for the New Zealand tour earlier in the week.
Elsewhere, Uttar Pradesh batted first against Goa in Kanpur with Rinku Singh, a centurion in the last round, in their side. Saurashtra are without Ravindra Jadeja for their match against Karnataka in Bengaluru, and Karnataka are missing KL Rahul and R Smaran, who have joined India A for New Zealand.
What comes next
Most of the round’s matches began at 9:30 am, with the three North-East fixtures in Dimapur, Shillong and Guwahati starting an hour earlier. Play continues until stumps on Sunday evening, and the four-day games run until Wednesday.