Ranji Trophy 2024/25: Pujara and Samad Shine in Thrilling Matches

Day four of the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 season's second round saw outstanding performances from Cheteshwar Pujara and Abdul Samad. Pujara's double century for Saurashtra and Samad's twin centuries for Jammu & Kashmir stood out. Exciting finishes and dramatic draws added to the action-packed cricket contest.

The second round of the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 season witnessed remarkable cricketing feats, particularly from Cheteshwar Pujara and Abdul Samad. On day four, Pujara lit up the field with a sterling double century for Saurashtra, while Abdul Samad delivered twin centuries for Jammu and Kashmir, catching the spotlight.

In the Elite Group A clash, Meghalaya, forced to follow on, collapsed for 138 in their second innings, suffering a defeat by an innings and 17 runs to Tripura. Manisankar Murasingh's astonishing figures of 5/44 in the second innings and 6/52 in the first, coupled with his quickfire 60 off 72 balls, were instrumental in Tripura's victory.

Meanwhile, Mumbai hunted down Maharashtra's target of 74 with ease, thanks to Prithvi Shaw's solid 39* and Hardik Tamore's support with 21*. Ayush Mhatre, aged just 17, earned the Player of the Match with a stunning 176, establishing a commanding 315-run lead for Mumbai in the first innings.

Services, tasked with chasing 341 against Baroda, faltered after an initial top-order collapse. Despite a promising 80-run partnership between Lovekesh Bansal and Rajat Paliwal, Baroda's Mahesh Pithiya dismantled the Services batting lineup with six wickets, leaving Arjun Sharma's vigilant 79* in vain as they fell 65 runs short.

Abdul Samad returned to the spotlight with twin centuries, setting a tough 269-run target for Odisha. An anticipated draw turned riveting amid late-order collapses, but Odisha salvaged the draw with Sandeep Pattnaik's gritty 55 off 222 balls.

Gujarat pulled off a nail-biting two-wicket win over Andhra Pradesh in Elite Group B. With the target within reach at 144, Gujarat's innings hung by a thread at 131-9 until Arzan Nagwaswalla's composed 16* secured a thrilling victory. Nagwaswalla was also impressive with an unbeaten 82 in the first innings.

Elsewhere, Swapnil Singh spun his side, Uttarakhand, to a 78-run victory over Hyderabad, thanks to his 6-59. Puducherry fell to Harsh Dubey's all-round brilliance as he took 4/20, along with significant batting contributions.

Punjab set Madhya Pradesh a daunting 400-run target. Despite a challenging 146/8, Madhya Pradesh defied the odds to draw the match, driven by Himanshu Mantri's resolute 41*. The Bengal-Bihar and Kerala-Karnataka clashes were washed out due to rain.

In Elite Group D, Delhi survived against Tamil Nadu after following on, with Sanat Sangwan's gritty 83. Meanwhile, Cheteshwar Pujara shone with a 234-run knock, advancing Saurashtra to 478/8 in pursuit of Chhattisgarh's 578/7, marking Pujara's 18th first-class double ton.

Assam faltered for 185 against Chandigarh, succumbing to Jagjit Singh's 7/57. Railways and Jharkhand's low-scoring encounter ended in a draw, showcasing fiercely competitive cricket across the board. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)