Ranji trophy: Punjab openers post 192-run partnership

Chandigarh, January 7

Punjab openers Prabhsimran Singh and Abhishek Sharma came up with a brilliant 192-run partnership to give Punjab an edge over Karnataka in the second innings during the Ranji Trophy at KSCA Stadium.

On Saturday, Punjab was trailing by 309 runs. However, their batters displayed a better performance in the second innings and reduced the margin to 124 runs. Skipper Mandeep Singh and Nehal Wadhera were playing unbeaten at 238/3, when the stumps were drawn. Hosts Karnataka had declared their first innings at 514/8.

Facing a mammoth task, Punjab openers Prabhsimran and Sharma started off well. The duo successfully raised a 192-run partnership to set up an example for their following teammates. However, the duo was stopped by Karnataka pacer Samarth R, who took Sharma’s wicket. The left-handed opener scored 91 off 123 balls, studded with nine boundaries and three sixes. In the very next over, Prabhsimran also followed his fellow opener. He completed his ton off 146 balls, including 17 boundaries, before falling prey to Vidwath Kaverappa.

Naman Dhir (20) thereafter joined the skipper, but added only 28 runs to the partnership. Skipper Mandeep (15) and Wadhera (9) ensured no further loss for the side. Earlier, Karnataka lads opened the day from the overnight total of 461/6. The hosts went to score 514, before declaring their innings. S Sharath (76), Shubhang Hegde (27) and Rohit Kumar (22) remained the main scores for the side. Arshdeep Singh picked three for the bowling side, while Prerit Dutta and Dhir claimed two wickets each. Siddharth Kaul also claimed one.

Foggy weather boon for UT

In Chandigarh, fog hit the Chandigarh-Railways match as not even a single ball was bowled on the third day. After an assessment at Sector 16 stadium, umpires declared the conditions unfavourable for the play. Railways batters were scheduled to resume from 313/4 on the third day.