A summary of Friday's action in the Ranji Trophy matches across the country.
The 23-year-old explained that his stint with Delhi Capitals sharpened his cricketing brain.
I felt India needed me in Australia, selectors should look at intent than age: Ajinkya Rahane
Ranji Trophy champions Vidarbha took firm control of the Irani Cup, seizing a healthy first-innings lead and then consolidating it with a solid batting effort in their second essay against Rest of India at the VCA Stadium, in Nagpur, on Friday.
'Many things that are happening are not good for Indian cricket.'
Pacers Priyajit Jadeja and Arzan Nagwaswalla took seven wickets between them as Gujarat thrashed Saurashtra by an innings and 98 runs to enter the Ranji Trophy semifinals.
Vidarbha stayed firmly in control of the Irani Cup final, setting Rest of India a stiff 361-run target before reducing them to 30 for two in 12 overs when rain forced an early close on the fourth day, in Nagpur, on Saturday.
Pacers Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal and Sumit Mohanta shared seven wickets to power Bengal to an innings and 13-run win over Punjab in their Elite Group C match of the Ranji Trophy.
It must be mentioned here that veteran bowler Ishant Sharma has already told DDCA that he won't play red-ball cricket anymore now that he is no longer in contention for a national comeback.
Skipper Shubman Gill had a long batting stint while the troika of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel returned to action for India's final training session here on Wednesday before the first Test against the West Indies.
'Sometimes it might look wrong in the fans' eyes, but please don't twist things or create narratives that aren't even close to the truth.'
Karnataka need to win with a bonus point win against table-toppers Haryana in their final league match to advance to the quarter-finals.
Kerala advanced to their maiden Ranji Trophy final after clinching a dramatic two-run first-innings lead over Gujarat in the semi-finals on Friday.
Taide scored 118 not out off 240 balls, while Yash Rathod chipped in with a valuable 91 (153 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) as the two revived their side after wickets fell in a heap.
Strong fifties from Aarya Desai and Jaymeet Patel along with a disciplined bowling performance led by spinner Siddharth Desai powered Gujarat to a dominant nine-wicket victory over Himachal Pradesh
Yashasvi Jaiswal on Wednesday joined the Mumbai camp after confirming his availability for the next round of Ranji Trophy
Former India left-arm fast bowler Rudra Pratap Singh and left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha are set to become national selectors with the exit of S Sharath and Subroto Banerjee.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane's half-centuries powered Mumbai to 278/4 at stumps on Day 3, a commanding lead of 292 runs.
Kauthankar and Bakle's partnership is second only to 624 runs for the third wicket, achieved by Sri Lankans Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene during a Test match against South Africa in Colombo, SSC in July 2006.
Yash Dhull smashed his way to 92 but Vidarbha bowling unit proved too good for Rest of India as they comfortably won the Irani Cup by 93 runs in Nagpur on Sunday.
Aditya Sarwate's unbeaten 66 anchored Kerala's strong reply as the visitors reached 131/3 at stumps on Day 2 of the Ranji Trophy final, after restricting hosts Vidarbha to 379.
Shardul Thakur and Tanush Kotian grabbed four wickets each as rampant Mumbai stormed to an innings and 456-run win over Meghalaya to top the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A table in Mumbai on Saturday.
Vidarbha made a grand entry into the Ranji Trophy semi-final after outclassing Tamil Nadu by 198 runs on Day 4.
Malewar made the most of his recent form having notched up scores of 75 and 79 in the knockout games.
Kerala pacer Nidheesh takes fifer to reduce J&K to 228 for 8
Rinku Singh has built his reputation as a fearless six-hitter in T20 cricket, but the 27-year-old insists he doesn't want to be boxed into that label. For him, the ultimate dream lies not under floodlights but in the whites of Test cricket.
K L Rahul's much-anticipated return to Ranji Trophy lasted a mere 37 balls as the India opener was dismissed for 26, leaving Karnataka at 267/5 against Haryana.
Surrey's Rahul Chahar will come up against fellow Indian all-rounder Washington Sundar, who plays for Hampshire, in the season-ending English county match.
While Mumbai might not end up positing a huge total, Mulani and Kotian have done enough to ensure that they have something to bowl at when Haryana come out to bat.
In 42 first-class matches, Kuldeep has taken 161 wickets at an average of 29.14.
Captain Paras Dogra delivered when it mattered the most, lifting Jammu & Kashmir to 180/3 for a substantial overall lead against Kerala.
Rahane recommends radical change in appointment of selectors, Pujara agrees partially
Punjab captain Shubman Gill struck a classy century but failed to save his team from an innings defeat to Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy Group C match.
'He's a hypocrite because he's the one who said that India, when he was not the coach of Team India, said that India and Pakistan should never play a match between them.'
Earlier, Akash Anand completed his second first-class century and shared a 69-run stand with Tanush Kotian (33) to lead Mumbai's recovery after they ended the second day at 188 for seven.
'Will any coach think of keeping out Rohit and Kohli from the ODI team? That means there is something going on within the team against the two players.' Manoj Tiwary, who played 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India, said iconic players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli deserve greater respect.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla also spoke on how domestic cricketers have seen a rise in their pay and scale over the years to an unprecedented level.
Upendra Yadav's resolute 95 propelled Uttar Pradesh to 241 against Delhi, dominated by Virat Kohli's return to Ranji Trophy after 13 years.
'Performances, I didn't really focus on it that much. I just wanted to have some fun. I haven't played competitive cricket in a long time.'
Skipper Paras Dogra led by example with a fine century to help Jammu and Kashmir set Kerala a stiff target of 399 on Day 4 of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final.
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