Uttarakhand showcased an impressive all-round performance to secure a comprehensive victory over Jharkhand by an innings, with the pace-spin combination of Abhay Negi and Mayank Mishra dismantling the opposition on Day 3, securing a spot in the Ranji Trophy semifinal on Sunday.
Veteran left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra mesmerized Jharkhand with a remarkable 5 for 22, while Abhay Negi’s relentless bowling earned him figures of 4 for 36. Together, they decimated the Jharkhand batting lineup, dismissing them for a meager 130 and leading Uttarakhand to an innings-and-six-run triumph.
Starting from their overnight score of 282 for 5, Uttarakhand strengthened their hold on the match on Day 3, extending their first-innings lead before being bowled out for 371
in 122.3 overs.
The 136-run lead proved crucial, with late-order batter Abhay Negi contributing a valuable 46, tightening the noose around a struggling Jharkhand.
Similar to their first-innings collapse, where key players like Kumar Kushagra and skipper Virat Singh failed to deliver, resulting in a subpar 235, Jharkhand’s second innings followed a self-destructive pattern.
Their innings fell apart quickly, with openers Shikhar Mohan and Sharandeep Singh dismissed for single-digit scores by the fourth over, leaving them at 14 for 2 with Negi striking twice.
Though Virat Singh (55) and Kumar Kushagra (34) put together a promising 86-run partnership for the third wicket, they failed to build on it, leaving Jharkhand without the substantial innings they needed.
Aditya Singh, who had earlier shown resilience with a cautious 83, faltered when it mattered, falling for just nine as Jharkhand crumbled in a dramatic collapse—losing six wickets for single digits, including three ducks.
From 100 for 3, Jharkhand imploded to 126 for 9 as Mishra tore through the middle order and tail, finishing with a match haul of eight wickets.
Brief Scores:
Jharkhand 235 and 130 in 41.1 overs (Virat Singh 55; Abhay Negi 4/36, Mayank Mishra 5/22).
Uttarakhand 371 all out in 122.3 overs (Avneesh Sudha 64, Kunal Chandela 68, Jagadeesha Suchith 70, Abhay Negi 46; Jatin Pandey 2/72, Sahil Raj 2/59, Saurabh Shekhar 2/75, Aditya Singh 2/57).
