New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) Skipper Himanshu Rana led from the front with his fourth first-class century as Haryana reached 204/3 in a strong reply to Punjab’s mammoth 444 on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group F fixture here on Friday.
Rana slammed 16 fours en route to his unbeaten 113 from 177 balls, while Yashu Sharma, who scored his maiden first-class century against Tripura in the last match, gave him good support at the other end with 69 not out.
Haryana were trailing Punjab by 240 runs at the end of day two’s play.
Haryana had a jittery start and were 4/2 after losing both the openers Subham Rohilla (4) and Mayank Shandilya (0) inside the second over before the skipper rebuilt their innings.
Rana got a 50-plus stand with Shivam Chauhan and looked to carry on the momentum but Siddharth Kaul (2/49) Punjab gave another breakthrough.
Kaul cleaned up Chauhan (18) with the team’s score at 65/3 and Haryana looked to slip again before Rana resisted the collapse, building a fine partnership with the in-form Yashu Sharma.
The duo saw through the day putting up an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 139 runs.
Earlier, resuming the day at 368/5 Punjab lost their remaining five wickets for 76 runs in 23 overs as Haryana staged a spirited fightback riding on rookie off-spinner Aman Kumar’s fine 4/88.
The 22-year-old ran through the lower-order after seamer Ajit Chahal (3/74) gave the first breakthrough in the first hour’s play.
Punjab senior batter Mandeep Singh was stranded on 159 as wickets kept falling around him, eventually folding in 111 overs.
Tripura all out for 202 against HP
In another match Group F match, Tripura were all out for 202 in reply to Himachal Pradesh 365.
K B Pawan top-scored for Tripura with 34, while Bishal Ghosh and Rajat Dey chipped in with 30-run knocks each but the rest of the team collapsed as left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar snared five wickets in 21.2 overs, conceding just 55 runs.
Earlier, Himachal, who were 304/6 overnight, folded for 365.
Skipper Ankit Kalsi was the star of that innings with a 271-ball 147.
Brief Scores:
At Arun Jaitley Stadium: Punjab 444; 111 overs (Mandeep Singh 159 not out, Anmol Malhotra 100; Aman Kumar 4/88, Ajit Chahal 3/74). Haryana 204/3; 57 overs (Himanshu Rana 113 batting, Yashu Sharma 69 batting). Match to continue.
At Palam A Ground: Himachal Pradesh 365; 108.4 overs (Ankit Kalsi 147, Raghav Dhawan 68, Akash Vasisht 43; Rahil Shah 3/50, Amit Ali 2/65). Tripura 202; 68.5 overs (KB Pawan 34, Bishal Ghosh 30; Mayank Dagar 5/55, Rishi Dhawan 2/46, Akash Vasisht 2/32). Match to continue.
