Ranji Trophy: Andhra Pradesh tops group A with convincing win over Vidarbha

Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh) [India], January 25 (ANI): Andhra Pradesh stormed to the top of Group A in the Ranji Trophy with a convincing eight-wicket win over defending champions Vidarbha on Sunday at Vizianagaram.
Shaik Rasheed starred with an unbeaten 132, guiding Andhra to a comfortable chase of 259. Ricky Bhui also contributed with an unbeaten 64, securing Andhra's place at the top of the group.
Chasing 259, Andhra resumed day 4 at an overnight score of 93 for one and completed the task in 56.1 overs. Nachiket Bhute was Vidarbha's lone wicket-taker in Andhra's second innings, claiming 2/83.
In Lucknow, Jharkhand handed Uttar Pradesh a massive innings-and-301-run thrashing. UP collapsed to 84 all out in their second innings. Jharkhand's strong performance left UP reeling, with the visitors piling on the pressure.
Saurabh Shekhar was the chief destroyer for Jharkhand, taking 5/16, with two wickets each for Jatin Pandey and Sahil Raj.
In Alur, Spinners Saransh Jain and Sagar Solanki were the masterminds behind Madhya Pradesh's convincing 217-run win over Karnataka, sharing six wickets between them. The duo's brilliant bowling display on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B clash sealed MP's dominance, handing Karnataka a heavy defeat.
MP declared their second innings at 229/8, setting a target of 362 runs for Karnataka. The hosts in reply were bundled out for just 144 runs. Karnataka's Aneesh KV was the lone warrior in their second smashing 57 runs off 142 balls, including seven fours.
In Hyderabad, Mumbai posted a comfortable nine-wicket victory over the hosts.
Mumbai cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket win over hosts Hyderabad, chasing down the target with ease. After Hyderabad's first-innings lead was wiped out by Mumbai's big score of 560, the hosts were bundled out for just 302, posting a 10-run target for Mumbai.
Musheer Khan's brilliant five-wicket haul restricted Hyderabad to 302 in their second innings, with Chama V Milind (85) being the lone warrior for the hosts.
In Bengaluru, Delhi fought back impressively to draw with Chhattisgarh, courtesy of Ayush Doseja's twin centuries (104 and 129) in the match. The opener's heroics, combined with solid knocks from Priyansh Arya (82) and Ayush Badoni (68), helped Delhi overcome a 289-run first-innings deficit and grab a 133-run lead.
Chhattisgarh finished on 57-3 on the fourth and final day of the match, with Sanjeet Desai (22) being the top scorer. For Delhi, Money Grewal grabbed all three wickets in the fourth innings to close the match with figures of 3/27.
In Pune, Maharashtra, posted a commanding eight-wicket victory over Goa. Maharashtra chased down 108 against Goa with ease, courtesy of Jalaj Saxena's stunning all-round performance (6/79 & 5/81).
Ruturaj Gaikwad (66) and Saurabh Nawale (105) also chipped in with crucial runs in the first innings to get Maharashtra a decent first innings lead, while Arshin Kulkarni's fifty in the fourth innings helped Maharashtra to gun down 108 in 21.1 overs.
In Guwahati, Haryana defeated the host by nine wickets after chasing 170 with ease. Haryana stormed past Assam, courtesy of Anshul Kamboj's match-winning bowling (4/55 & 2/28) and Ankit Kumar's crucial knocks (74 & 50). Kamboj's spell was the difference-maker, while Kumar anchored Haryana's batting with two half-centuries, sealing a convincing win for Haryana. (ANI)