By Tamil Nadu vs Saurashtra, Coimbatore
Tamil Nadu became the first team to secure a spot in the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 season after a dominant performance against Saurashtra in Coimbatore. The hosts, starting the day at 300/6, added more runs to their total, eventually getting bowled out for 338. Sai Kishore was the star for Tamil Nadu, picking up four wickets, while Sandeep Warrier chipped in with three as Saurashtra’s batting line-up crumbled. Despite a battling 46 from Cheteshwar Pujara, Saurashtra could only muster 122 in their second innings, handing Tamil Nadu victory by an innings and 33 runs. Sai Kishore’s all-round performance, with nine wickets in the match and a crucial 60 with the bat, was the highlight for Tamil Nadu.
Brief scores: Saurashtra 183 (Harvik Desai 83; Sai Kishore 5-66, Ajith Ram 3-56) & 122 (Cheteshwar Pujara 46; Sai Kishore 4-27, Sandeep Warrier 3-18) lost to Tamil Nadu 338 (Baba Indrajith 80, Boopathi Kumar 65, Sai Kishore 60; Chirag Jani 3-22) by an innings & 33 runs.
Vidarbha vs Karnataka, Nagpur
Vidarbha continued to dominate their quarterfinal clash against Karnataka in Nagpur, thanks to impressive performances from Aditya Sarwate and Yash Thakur. Starting the day at 98/2, Karnataka lost key wickets, including R Samarth and Manish Pandey, as they struggled to 148/4. Nikin Jose’s fighting 82 provided some resistance, but Vidarbha’s bowlers kept chipping away, limiting Karnataka to 286 and securing a hefty 174-run lead. In their second innings, Vidarbha’s openers, Dhruv Shorey and Atharva Taide, added an unbroken 50-run partnership, further strengthening their position in the match.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 460 & 50/0 lead Karnataka 286 (Nikin Jose 82, R Samarth 59; Yash Thakur 3-48, Aditya Sarwate 3-50) by 224 runs.
Mumbai vs Baroda, Mumbai
Vishnu Solanki and Shashwat Rawat’s centuries for Baroda were not enough to prevent Mumbai from gaining the upper hand at the BKC complex. Starting the day at 127/2, Baroda reached 239 before being bowled out for 348, conceding a 36-run lead to Mumbai. Shams Mulani’s four-wicket haul was crucial for Mumbai. By stumps, Mumbai were 21/1, leading by 57 runs.
Brief scores: Mumbai 384 & 21/1 lead Baroda 348 (Vishnu Solanki 136, Shashwat Rawat 124; Shams Mulani 4-121) by 57 runs.
Madhya Pradesh vs Andhra, Indore
Andhra staged a superb comeback with the ball against Madhya Pradesh in an intriguing quarterfinal clash in Indore. Madhya Pradesh, starting the day at 21/0 in their second innings, were bowled out for just 107, with Nitish Kumar Reddy, KV Sasikanth, and Lalith Mohan taking three wickets each. Himanshu Mantri’s 43 was the top score for Madhya Pradesh. Set a target of 170 for victory, Andhra were 95/4 at stumps, with Hanuma Vihari’s unbeaten 43 keeping them in the hunt, needing 75 more runs to win.
Brief scores: Madhya Pradesh 234 & 107 (Himanshu Mantri 43; Nitish Kumar Reddy 4-28) lead Andhra 172 & 95/4 (Hanuma Vihari 43*; Anubhav Agarwal 2-22) by 74 runs.
