Published: Dec 30, 2018, 06:11 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 30, 2018, 06:11 PM (IST)
Puducherry took control of their Ranj Trophy round eight clash of the Plate group against Manipur on Sunday after taking the first innings lead in Anantpur.
After bowling out Manipur for a paltry 132, Puducherry began on a solid footing and had reached 150/2 with a lead of 18 runs by the time the day’s play ended.
The pair of Pankaj Singh and Raiphi Gomez fully backed their captain’s call to field first as they shared eight wickets between them in a dominating show with the ball. Gomez landed the first blow, breaking a cautious start, when he removed opener Prafullomani Singh for 9 in the eighth over. Pankaj soon joined the fun when he had the other opener Hrithik Kanojia caught for 16 off 26.
Captain Yashpal Singh waged a lone battle hitting 50 off 85 as the innings crumbled around him. He struck five fours during his stay and was the sole reason Manipur crossed the 100-run mark.
The next top scorer was Mayank Raghav with 18 off 16 with just four of their batters recording scores in double-digits.
Pankaj finished with 4/32, wiping off the tail while Gomez took 4/58.
Puducherry openers were involved in a century stand with Sai Karthik hitting a half-century. The duo added 100 runs between them before Bishworjit Konthoujam struck with the scalp of Saiju Titus on 42. Karthik soon followed his partner to the dressing room becoming Konthoujam second victim. He scored 55 off 91 with five fours.
At the close of play, captain D Rohit (22*) and Vikneshwaran Marimuthu had taken the score to 150/2 in 47 overs.
Brief Scores: Puducherry 150/2 (Sai Karthik 55; Bishworjit Konthoujam 2/39) lead Manipur 132 (Yashpal Singh 50; Pankaj Singh 4/32, Raiphi Gomez 4/58) by 18 runs
