Ranji Trophy: Chandigarh off to shaky start against Baroda in second match

Backed by solid performances from their bowlers, Baroda managed to bowl Chandigarh out for 168 on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy encounter being played at the Vikash Cricket Ground, Bhubaneswar

Riding high on fast bowler Abhimanyu Singh Rajput’s superb performance, Baroda on Thursday bowled out Chandigarh for 168 runs in their first innings on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy tie being played at the Vikash Cricket Ground, Bhubaneswar.

Chandigarh could only manage 168 runs on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy encounter against Baroda. (AFP)

In reply, Baroda were 80/1 when the stumps were drawn at the end of the day.

Choosing to field first, Baroda bowlers started out strong, dismissing U-19 Indian cricketer Harnoor Singh Pannu in his Ranji Trophy debut. He was dismissed in the 14th over for eight. Fellow opener, Arslan Khan was sent back soon after for a paltry 22.

Thereafter, captain Manan Vohra stitched together a 38-run partnership with debutant Amrit Lal Lubana to steady proceedings for Chandigarh.

Vohra scored a valiant 43 runs off 45 balls, even as wickets fell around him. The side found itself in trouble 117/6. The duo of Gurinder Singh and Rajangad Bawa bolstered the score slightly, with tailenders, Gaurav Gambhir and Jagjit Singh Sandhu, pitching in with 21 and 14 runs respectively. The side finished with 168.

Abhimanyu Singh Rajput emerged as the strongest performer for the bowling side, taking five wickets while conceding only 47 runs. Bhargav Bhatt and Shafikhan Pathan picked up two dismissals each.

In reply, Baroda got off to a quick start. Recovering from the early loss of captain Kedar Deodhar’s wicket, the side stood at 80/1 at stumps with unbeaten batters Jyotsnil Singh at 31 and Pratyush Kumar at 22.

Chandigarh had earlier succumbed to a loss to Hyderabad in the opening match.