Ranji Trophy Round 6, Day 1 wrap: Sarfaraz Khan hit a hundred to rescue Mumbai against Delhi while Narayan Jagadeesan and Anustup Majumdar hit hundreds to put Tamil Nadu and Bengal in a position of strength in their respective Group B matches against Assam and Haryana.

Sarfaraz Khan hit 125 for Mumbai against Delhi on January 17 (PTI Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: Sarfaraz Khan put behind another Test squad snub to hit another century on Day 1 of Round 6 of the Ranji Trophy 2022-23 match against Delhi. Sarfaraz rescued Mumbai after a shaky start in their Group B match at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Tuesday, January 17.

Sarfaraz hit 125 from just 155 deliveries as he led Mumbai’s fightback after they were reduced to 66 for 4. It was Sarfaraz’s 3rd hundred of the season as he has already gone past 550 runs.

Mumbai, who are at the 2nd spot in Group B behind Saurashtra, were bowled out for 293 despite Sarfaraz’s brilliant counter-attack. It was not an easy outing as Sarfaraz came in to bat with his team in a spot of bother at 62 for thee, replacing his 17-year-old brother Musheer. He then saw skipper Ajinkya Rahane making his way back to the dressing room after being dismissed by medium pacer Pranshu Vijayan .

Sarfaraz took off his helmet and came up with a thigh-five celebration. Head coach Amol Mazumdar doffed his hat as the entire dressing room stood up to applaud the knock, according to PTI Bukkry.com”>News agency.

Wicketkeeper Prasad Pawar (25) got out after getting a start, paving the way for a sixth-wicket stand of 144 runs between Sarfaraz and Shams Mulani (39).

In-form opener Prithvi Shaw was the second-highest scorer for Mumbai, with a characteristic 35-ball 40.

Vijayran (4//66) was the most successful bowler on the day for Delhi, while there were two wickets apiece for Harshit Rana and Yogesh Sharma.

In the last two Ranji Trophy seasons, Sarfaraz has amassed 1,910 runs in just 12 games, averaging 136.42. He scored seven centuries in 18 innings, and also made 11 fifties. Since 2019, the Mumbai batter has scored 2,289 runs in 22 innings at an average of 134.64 with nine hundreds, five fifties, two double hundreds and a triple ton.

JAGADEESAN SHINES IN CHENNAI

Meanwhile, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu dominated Assam, who have been disappointed with the ball in the season.

Opener Narayan Jagadeesan continued to impress, hitting 125 in just 152 balls while Pradosh Ranjan Paul was unbeaten on 99 at close of play.

Out-of-favour India all-rounder Vijay Shankar was unbeaten on 53.

Tamil Nadu ended with 386 for 4 at Stumps.

MAHARASHTRA DOMINATED HYDERABAD

Maharashtra, who are placed 3rd in Group B, dominated Hyderabad’s bowling attack on Day 1 at the MCA Cricket Stadium Gahunje. The hosts rode on Naushad Shaikh’s 145 and Kedar Jadhav 71 to post 353 for 5 in the opening day.

Ashay Palkar, unbeaten on 61, will look to help Maharahstra extend their first innings total and head to a dominant position.

BENGAL CONTINUE TO IMPRESS

In Rohtak, veteran Bengal batter Anustup Majumdar scored an unbeaten 137 — his 12th first-class century — as the visitors made a strong start in their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Haryana here on Tuesday.

With Bengal in prime spot to make it to the Ranji quarter-finals as they are leading the group with 25 points, the 38-year-old Majumdar gave them a solid start, guiding them to 335 for six on day one of the match at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli.

Abhimanyu Easwaran (57) and wicket-keeper Abhishek Porel (49) were the other key contributors for Bengal as the group leaders made the hosts toil, scoring at a healthy rate of 3.72 runs per over.

Harshal Patel was the most successful Haryana bowler, grabbing three wickets for 60 runs in his 18 overs, even as the hosts utilised seven bowlers to restrict Bengal, but to no avail.

BRIEF SCORES

Mumbai: 293 all out in 79.2 overs (Sarfaraz Khan 125, Prithvi Shaw 40; Pranshu Vijayran 4/66) vs Delhi.

In Rajkot

Andhra: 256/5 in 90 overs (Ricky Bhui 80; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 3/80) vs Saurashtra.

In Chennai

Tamil Nadu: 386/4 in 90 overs (Narayan Jagadeesan 125, Pradosh Ranjan Paul 99 batting, Baba Indrajith 77, Vijay Shankar 53 batting) vs Assam.

In Pune

Maharashtra 353/5 in 85 overs (Naushad Shaikh 145; Kedar Jadhav 71, Ashay Palkar 61 batting; Kartikeya Kak 3/76) vs Hyderabad.

In Rohtak

Bengal 335 for 6 in 90 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 57, Anustup Majumdar battinng 137; Abishek Porel 49; Harshal Patel 3/60) vs Haryana.

In Dehradun

Baroda 86 in 35.3 overs (Deepak Dhapola 2/28, Agrim Tiwari 5/40, Abhay Negi 2/14) vs Uttarakhand 74 for 4 in 32 overs (Aditya Tare batting 26; Babashafi Pathan 2/11).

In Nadaun

Himachal Pradesh 285 for 6 in 90 overs (Ankit Kalsi batting 116, Nikhil Gangta 41, Rishi Dhawan 40, Mayank Dagar bating 53) vs Nagaland.

In Meerut

Odisha 222 for 5 in 82 overs (Shantanu Mishra batting 107, Rajesh Dhuper 62, Abhishek Raut batting 43) vs Uttar Pradesh. (With PTI Inputs)