Ranji Trophy: Himachal reach 244/5 against Punjab on Day 1

MOHALI: Hosts Punjab made early inroads into the batting lineup of Himachal Pradesh but the middle order milked the limited and inexperienced bowling attack to push the score to 244 for 5 by the end of the 90-over opening day of the Ranji Trophy Group B match at IS Bindra PCA Stadium on Thursday.


Punjab skipper Mandeep Singh won the toss and elected to bowl. On a two-paced surface that offered good bounce and carry, Sandeep Sharma drew first blood by trapping a shaky Prashant Chopra in front of the wicket for 1.

Second opener Prashant Khanduri's painstaking stay at the crease ended unconvincingly when Sanvir angled a full-length delivery across his body, sucking the batsman into a drive. All he managed was a tickle into the gloves of Abhishek Gupta.

Thereafter, wicketkeeper batsman Praveen Thakur (44) and Nikhil Gangta (58) grafted a 69-run partnership for the third wicket. More importantly, they used up 29 overs, blocking every delivery that stayed low, while the Punjab spinners posed no challenge.

Punjab skipper Mandeep Singh brought Sandeep Sharma back into the attack and the Patiala lad struck in the very first over of his second spell. Thakur couldn't resist the temptation to drive a full and wide delivery and was done in by the extra bounce. The edge flew to Gupta behind the stumps.

Ankit Kalsi (50 not out) joined Gangta and the pair put on 36 runs for the fourth wicket before Gangta was trapped off Gurkeerat's bowling, his only mistake in a composed half-century.

Kalsi found an ally in seasoned Rishi Dhawan (61) for a fifth-wicket partnership of 96. Facing Gurkeerat Mann, Dhawan emerged out of his shell to play some eye-catching shots. His 74-balls knock was studded with ten crisp boundaries.

Dhawan was caught by Jiwanjot Singh at short cover off Sanvir in the second-last over of the day. Dejected by his shot selection, Dhawan stayed on the pitch for a minute before walking back to the pavilion.

At the stumps, Kalsi remained unbeaten on 50 in the company of Ekant Sen, who still had to open his account. Both batsmen have a big task on the second day, while Punjab's think tank must be satisfied with the way their bowlers dismissed half the opposition.

Punjab medium pacers Sandeep Sharma (2/50) and Sanvir Singh (2/40) were bowling performers of the day but even off-spinner Gurkeerat Mann (1/31) was praiseworthy for the turn, bounce, and flight control. At times, there seemed a string attached to his flighted deliveries that tempted batsmen to go for big shots.