Published: Dec 27, 2016, 05:28 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 27, 2016, 05:29 PM (IST)
Gujarat took a massive first-innings lead over Odisha and qualified for the semi-final of Ranji Trophy 2016-17, courtesy Samit Gohil’s magnificent 359 not out. However, pacer Jasprit Bumrah was awarded Man of the Match for his 5 for 41 on a track that did not have much for the bowlers. In a batsman-dominated era, it was a nice gesture to acknowledge a bowler’s effort. But that did not take away Gohil’s thunder, for he broke a number of records. Not only did he become only the second triple-centurion for Gujarat but also registered the highest individual score for them. It was his long innings that propelled Gujarat to the penultimate stage.
Gohil’s opening partner Priyank Panchal also added another feather to his achievement. Panchal became only the sixth highest run-scorer in a season, surpassing Mumbai’s Ajinkya Rahane. Panchal is also the highest run-scorer this season, with 1,120 runs at 101.81 inclusive of 4 hundreds and as many fifties. Panchal also scored an unbeaten 314 against Punjab — their first triple-centurion. Nonetheless, it was a top-drawer performance for Parthiv Patel’s team, as they outplayed Odisha in all the departments. Credit also goes to Chirag Gandhi and Rush Kalaria for their resistance in the first innings, scoring 81 and 73 respectively when the top and middle order failed to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Updates: Ranji Trophy 2016-17, Quarter- Final, Day 5
As a matter of fact, none of the Odisha batsmen could score a half-century. To put them in further misery, Gohil’s class-apart batsmanship reduced their bowlers to nothingness.
Gujarat will now face Jharkhand in semi-final 2 at Nagpur’s Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
Brief scores:
Gujarat 263 (Chirag Gandhi 81; Basant Mohanty 5 for 68) & 641 (Samit Gohil 359*; Dhiraj Singh 6 for 147) drew with Odisha 199 (Pradhan 47; Jasprit Bumrah 5 for 23) & 81/1 (Senapati 59*; Rujul Bhatt 1 for 23).
