Here are highlights from Day 3 of the opening round of the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy.
Wicket-keeper Abhishek Gupta struck an unbeaten century on debut as Punjab reached 484 for six in reply to Himachal Pradesh's mammoth 729 for eight declared on the third day of a Group D Ranji Trophy match on Sunday.
Gupta made a quickfire 129 not out off 116 balls with the help of 16 boundaries and four sixes to held the fort for Punjab in the company of his name sake and another debutant Abhishek Sharma (81 not out).
Himachal Pradesh will go into day four needing four more wickets to secure a first-innings lead but for that to happen the home team bowlers will have to break the 210-run seventh- wicket partnership between Gupta and Sharma.
The two batsmen, both on their first-class debut, came to their side's rescue after Punjab were down at 274 for 6 at one stage. The duo then stretched Punjab to 484 for six by stumps on the third day.
Resuming the day at the overnight score of 110 for 1, Punjab captain Jiwanjot Singh (59) and No. 4 batsman Anmolpreet Singh (50) made fifties, before off-spinner Gurvinder Singh (5/118) accounted for both the batsman.
Elsewhere in another Group D match in New Delhi, a five- for from off-spinner Aamir Gani helped Bengal secure a first- innings lead of 193 over Services. Bengal opted not to enforce the follow-on and stretched their lead to 270 by stumps on the third day.
Services opener Navneet Singh, who was unbeaten on 44 overnight, went on to score 121 on first-class debut, while Ravi Chauhan (53), Rahul Singh (43) and Shamsher Yadav (38) made fine contributions. However, unlike Bengal, who had five half-centurions in their first innings to support Sudip Chatterjee's hundred, Services' batsman failed to build on their starts.
Right-arm off-break bowler Aamir Gani's impressive 5 for 109 figure spell was responsible for restricting in Services. At stumps, Bengal were batting on 77 for no loss in their second innings. Abhishek Raman was unbeaten on 40 while Abhimanyu Easwaran was on 31.
Delhi looked firmly in sight of an innings victory after debutant Anuj Rawat's 71, found hosts reaching a commendable 435 in their first innings on third day of the Ranji Trophy Group A encounter. After taking a sizeable 177-run first innings lead, Delhi left Assam in tatters at 60 for 3 in their second essay with another 117 runs required to avoid innings defeat.
Navdeep Saini (2/13 in 8 overs) bowled at brisk pace, removing openers Pallav Das (5) and Rishav Das (9). Both deliveries were sharp incutters trapping one leg before and knocking the off stump of the other. Left-arm pacer Kulwant Khejroliya (1/1 in 4 overs) also removed rival skipper Gokul Sharma.
The highlight of the day was composed batting from Anuj, who is still 10 days short of his 18th birthday. The young left-hander faced 146 balls, hitting seven fours and a six. More importantly, he added 122 runs for the seventh wicket with Mannan Sharma (69, 98 balls) after Delhi were 297 for six at one stage.
Gautam Gambhir (137) was out early in the day, adding only a single run to his overnight score. Uttaranchal boy Anuj, who has learnt his cricket from Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma at West Delhi Academy, showed maturity beyond years. He allowed his senior partner Mannan to go for his shots as the latter had 13 hits to the fence.
The duo joined together at 297 for six with the lead being less than 40. But the manner in which Anuj handled the Assam pace duo of Abu Nechim (7/68) and Krishna Das (2/82) was worth a praise. He also used his feet well against the spinners, lofting off-spinner Sarupam Purkayastha for a straight six. By the time, both were dismissed, Delhi had taken complete control of the proceedings.
Brief scores
Assam: 258 and 60 for 3 (Navdeep Saini 2/13). Delhi 1st innings: 435 (Gautam Gambhir 137, Nitish Rana 110, Anuj Rawat 71, Mannan Sharma 69; Abu Nechim Ahmed 7/68).
At Lucknow, Railways vs Uttar Pradesh: Railways won by 21 runs.
Railways: 182 & 161 all out (Arindam Ghosh 57; Ankit Rajpoot 4/34). Uttar Pradesh: 250 & 72 all out (Avinash Yadav 4/26, Anureet Singh 3/25).
Hyderabad vs Maharashtra: No play.
Himachal Pradesh 729/8 dec (Prashant Chopra 338, Paras Dogra 99; Sandeep Sharma 4/149) vs Punjab 484/6 (Abhishek Gupta 129 not out, Abhishek Sharma 81; Gurvinder Singh 5/118).
Bengal 552/9 decl & 77 for no loss (Abhsiehk Raman 40 not out vs Services 359 all out (Navneet Singh 121; Aamir Gani 5/109).
Chattisgarh 458 all out (Manoj Singh 125, Mohammed Kaif 61, Jatin Saxena 82) vs Goa 223/4 (Sumiran Amonkar 79).
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 "cricket, Ranji Trophy, Ranji Trophy 2017-18, punjab, Delhi, himachal pradesh, gautam gambhir, prashant chopra, Abhishek Sharma")
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