da stake casino： Taking advantage of a fine first-innings batting effort, Baroda wontheir Ranji Trophy league match against Saurashtra at Rajkot by aninnings and 184 runs inside three days
Staff Reporter10-Dec-2001Baroda notch up massive victoryTaking advantage of a fine first-innings batting effort, Baroda wontheir Ranji Trophy league match against Saurashtra at Rajkot by aninnings and 184 runs inside three days.Skipper Tushar Arothe’s century was superseded by a patient 164 fromNayan Mongia. Batting for 453 minutes and 281 balls, Mongia struck 15fours in his knock and was the ninth wicket to fall, with the score onexactly 500. He received good support from the lower order, with AjitBhoite making 51 and Rakesh Patel a quickfire 41.In the face of a total of 509, Saurashtra’s batting wilted in theirfirst innings. Zaheer Khan, bowling to catch the national selectors’eye again, returned figures of 20-11-25-5. Saurashtra could only make115 in their first innings, with the top score being skipper ShitanshuKotak’s 28 off 141 balls.Following on, Saurashtra did only marginally better in their secondessay, making 210. Opener Sujith Somasunder top-scored with 57, butnone of the other batsmen could even get to 50. Bhoite took 4-31 inthe second innings, and Baroda went on to collect eight points byvirtue of their comprehensive outright win.Gujarat draw with MaharashtraGujarat drew their Ranji Trophy league match with Maharashtra atAhmedabad on Sunday, picking five points by virtue of their firstinnings lead.The home side reached 308 in their first essay, a score largelycomposed of Tejas Varsani’s slow 118 off 371 balls. Varsani hit 18fours and four sixes in his knock; he found some support initiallyfrom opener Nilesh Modi (85 off 276 balls) and then Kirat Damani (43off 99).Maharashtra, in reply, could make only 233; none of the batsmen evengot a fifty, although skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar made 45 and AnandYalvigi made an unbeaten 48. The innings was scuttled by the bowlingof Bhavin Mehta, who took 6-53 off his 30 overs.Batting again, Gujarat failed to take the initiative and push for aresult. Modi made another slow score, hitting 59 off 186 balls. Hisopening companion H Joshipura was no faster, making 38 off 144 balls.A brief flurry of wickets in the middle order followed after thedismissal of the openers, and it was left to Mehta (31) and Damani(32) to steady the innings. The home side reached 228/6 at the end ofthe fourth day.