Ranji Trophy Round 4: Dominant Performances and Record-Breaking Innings
Highlights from the Fourth Round of the Ranji Trophy
The fourth round of the Ranji Trophy showcased thrilling performances on Wednesday, November 4, with numerous standout displays.
Among the highlights was a remarkable 14-wicket haul by spinner Harsh Dubey, alongside another impressive century from Karnataka's lower-order batsman Manvanth Kumar. Mumbai's Tanush Kotian also shone with a seven-wicket haul, contributing to a day filled with exceptional cricket.
*Elite, Group A
Defending champions Jammu & Kashmir began their innings at 149/0 in response to Puducherry's first innings score of 385. Qamran Iqbal scored 160 runs off 292 balls, hitting 22 fours and a six, while Shubham Khajuria contributed 190 runs from 330 balls, including 28 fours and two sixes. Together, they formed a formidable opening partnership of 344 runs. By the end of the day, J&K had reached 491/5, establishing a 106-run lead with Kawalpreet Singh (53* off 91 balls) and Abdul Samad (37) at the crease.
In another match, UP faced Baroda, where Adarsh Singh and Madhav Kaushik set the stage with a remarkable 309-run opening partnership. Singh scored 162 runs from 176 balls, while Kaushik added 137 runs from 259 balls. Despite a lackluster performance from Rinku Singh (23) and Prashant Veer (14), captain Aryan Juyal's steady 67 helped UP declare at 455/8, surpassing Baroda's first innings total of 355.
Harsh Dubey's outstanding bowling (9/53 and 5/37) led Vidarbha to a convincing victory over Madhya Pradesh by an innings and 20 runs. His nine wickets dismantled MP for 209 runs, despite Atharva Mahajan's 85 runs. Skipper Akshay Wadkar's century (100* off 212 balls) propelled Vidarbha to 334, giving them a 125-run lead. Harsh and Parth Rekhade each took five wickets in MP's second innings, which ended at 105 runs.
*Elite, Group B
Karnataka's KV Aneesh was the star performer, scoring 145 runs as they secured an innings and 314-run victory over Assam. Starting the day at 496/5, Aneesh was 142* and Manvanth Kumar was 53* unbeaten. Although Aneesh couldn't add significantly to his score, Kumar reached a century (100 off 108 balls), leading Karnataka to 577/6 declared. Assam was bowled out for 128 in their second innings, with Shreyas Gopal's four-wicket haul (4/39) being a highlight.
*Elite, Group C
The match between Jharkhand and Odisha saw Jharkhand begin the day at 258/5, with Aditya Singh on 94* and Robin Minz on 11*. Aditya added only 10 runs to his overnight score, finishing with 104 runs from 298 balls, while Minz achieved his maiden first-class century (100 off 140 balls). Shubh Sharma also contributed with a fifty, helping Jharkhand declare at 433/8. Odisha ended the day at 23/0.
Maharashtra, in response to Bengal's first innings total of 143, scored 218 runs, with Mohammed Shami taking four wickets (4/37). Bengal ended the day at 76/4, holding a slim one-run lead with Abishek Porel remaining unbeaten on 23.
*Elite, Group D
In a match against Mumbai, Railways began their innings in reply to 396 runs, with notable contributions from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (78), Sarfaraz Khan (55), Akash Anand (52), and Shams Mulani (71). Railways started day three at 116/2, but Kotian's impressive bowling (7/45) led to their collapse for 259 runs, leaving them 137 runs behind. Mumbai ended the day with a 37-run lead, with Divyaansh Saxena (68* off 114 balls) and Raghuvanshi (79 off 85 balls) both scoring fifties.
*Plate Group
Mizoram responded to Arunachal Pradesh's 285 runs with a massive total of 571/9 declared, leading by 286 runs. Chinmay Sutar continued his excellent form, scoring 175 runs off 290 balls, marking his third consecutive century after a historic 400* against Nagaland and 125 against Meghalaya. He is currently the leading run-scorer with 834 runs in four innings, averaging 208.50, including three centuries and a fifty.