Hyderabad: A dramatic opening day of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 Elite Group stage produced gripping action across multiple venues as 16 wickets fell in Jammu, centuries lit up Jamshedpur, Rajsamand and Nadaun, while Mumbai dominated Pondicherry at the Wankhede.
J&K Take Charge After Chaotic Day Against Hyderabad
At Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir bowled out Hyderabad for 170 but stormed back to seize control, finishing 88/6 at stumps, still trailing by 82 runs.
Red-hot pacer Auqib Nabi (3/30) once again impressed, dismantling Hyderabad’s top-order after Abid Mushtaq’s counter-attacking 57 off 49 balls (9 fours) rescued J&K from 32/5.
Mushtaq stitched two crucial stands — 60 runs with Abdul Samad and 47 with Sahil Lotra — ensuring J&K reached a respectable total.
Hyderabad’s bowling duo Kartikeya Kak (3/48) and Tanay Thyagarajan (3/19) shone, though their batting collapse nullified the early advantage.
Captain Rahul Singh Gahlaut top-scored with 48, but the visitors ended in deep trouble at close of play.
Mumbai Pile on Runs at the Wankhede
Returning to their home fortress after a long gap, Mumbai posted 317/3 vs Pondicherry, powered by Musheer Khan (84), comeback man Akhil Herwadkar (86) and an unbeaten 80 from Siddhesh Lad.
The flat surface backfired on Pondicherry skipper Sagar Udeshi, who opted to field.
Sarfaraz Khan was unbeaten on 29 going into Day 2.
Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh Post Big Totals
At Rajsamand, Sachin Yadav (130) and Kunal Singh Rathore (103) powered Rajasthan to 263/4 against Delhi.
Meanwhile, at Nadaun, Anuj Tiwary smashed a marathon 162 to guide Chhattisgarh to 319/3, with opener Ayush Pandey scoring 59.
Sharandeep Singh Silences Critics With Gritty Ton
In Jamshedpur, 22-year-old opener Sharandeep Singh returned to form in style, scoring a determined 115 (209 balls, 16 fours) to guide Jharkhand to 259/6 vs Andhra.
This was a crucial innings after two single-digit scores and a poor start where Jharkhand lost Shikhar Mohan and Kumar Kushagra early.
Sharandeep built steady partnerships with skipper Virat Singh (41) and Aditya Singh (29) against a disciplined attack led by KV Sasikanth (3/50) and Saurabh Kumar (2/63).
Vidarbha Collapse Despite Strong Start
In Nagpur, table-toppers Vidarbha were bowled out for 169, suffering a middle-order collapse before Baroda reached 70/2 in reply.
