Iyer hits double ton, puts Punjab to sword

Mumbai, October 9

Upcoming batsman Shreyas Iyer scored a magnificent, maiden double hundred while his captain Aditya Tare slammed an unbeaten ton as the duo put the Punjab bowling attack to the sword to help Mumbai take a huge first innings lead of 341 runs on Day Two of their Ranji Trophy match here today.

At stumps, Mumbai were 495/6 in 112 overs, replying to Punjab’s measly 154, with Tare (111) and Dhawal Kulkarni (30) at the crease. Iyer made runs at a breakneck speed to slam the fourth fastest double century by an Indian batsman in first class cricket. He reached the coveted feat off just 175 balls with the help of 25 fours and five sixes.

The 20-year-old player, who carted the clueless Punjab attack to all parts of the field and showed superb timing in his strokes, fell for 200 off the next ball he faced after reaching the landmark with a single.

Iyer, who batted for 292 minutes in scoring his third first class ton, was dismissed while trying to clear the rope for the sixth time in his innings by his Delhi Daredevils teammate and Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh.

Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav (78 in 162 balls) had put on 233 runs for the third wicket after joining forces yesterday. Thanks to the blistering pace at which Iyer scored his runs, his hundred came off 90 balls, Mumbai reached 300 in just 61 overs.

Later, he and Tare added 64 runs for the fourth wicket to completely demoralise the Punjab attack, for whom left-arm pacer Barinder Singh Sran was the lone bright spot with a three-wicket haul.

Gangta’s ton puts Himachal in command

Dharamsala: Middle-order batsman Nikhil Gangta scored an unbeaten century to hand Himachal Pradesh a crucial first innings lead over Jammu and Kashmir on the second day of their Ranji Trophy match here today. Gangta made a strokeful unbeaten 111 off 158 balls to help the hosts post 300/5 in their first innings at stumps on Day Two in reply to Jammu and Kashmir’s 293.

For Jammu and Kashmir, pacer Ram Dayal (2/63) and skipper Parvez Rasool (2/76) picked up two wickets apiece.

Ishant’s six wkts rock Vidarbha

New Delhi: Ishant Sharma continued his brilliant form with the ball as his six-wicket haul enabled Delhi to restrict Vidarbha to 298 in their first innings here today. Delhi, in reply, crawled to 132 for two in 60 overs as skipper Gautam Gambhir played a painstaking unbeaten innings of 62 off 180 balls with six fours. Debutant Nitish Rana was unbeaten at 57 at the close of the day’s play.— Agencies

Brief scores:

Punjab: 154; Mumbai 495 for 6 (S Iyer 200, S Yadav 78, A Tare 111 not out, D Kulkarni 30 not out; Barinder Singh Sran 3/87).

J&K: 293 all out in 94.5 overs (Parvez Rasool 114 not out, Rishi Dhawan 4/107); Himachal Pradesh 1st innings: 300 for five in 83 overs (Nikhil Gangta 111 not out, Robin Bist 66; Ram Dayal 2/63).

Vidarbha 298 all out (Faiz Fazal 55, S Badrinath 44, Ishant Sharma 6/36); Delhi 132/2 (Gambhir 62 no, Rana 57 no).