Ranji Trophy: Hanuma Vihari Bats Left-handed, Helps Andhra Reach 379 Against MP

On the second day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal here on Wednesday, Andhra captain Hanuma Vihari shown guts by batting left-handed and defying the quick Avesh Khan to add 26 runs for the 10th wicket and assist the side reach 379 against Madhya Pradesh. The reigning champions were subsequently bowled out for 144 by Andhra, giving them control of the game.

Sunny memories

In the past, Sunil Gavaskar batted left-handedly to face Raghuram Bhat, a left-arm spinner, in a Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka in 1982.When play resumed with Andhra at 262 for 2, the hard-working MP bowlers struck back after toiling during the significant 251-run partnership between Ricky Bhui (149) and Karan Shinde (110). Bhui persisted in his efforts to thwart the home team's bowling onslaught while Shinde scored his tonne off 254 balls.Earlier, Mantri and Yash Dubey scored 42 runs together to give the Madhya Pradesh innings a strong start. The opening blow for Andhra was delivered by KV Sasikanth (2-37), who had Dubey caught by CR Gnaneshwar.

Gopal reaches 103. not gone :On Day Two of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal encounter on Wednesday in Bangalore, Karnataka grabbed a commanding 358-run lead over Uttarakhand thanks to experienced all-rounder Shreyas Gopal's unbeaten 103.On a day where runs came easily for the hosts, Mayank Agarwal (83) and Ravikumar Samarth (82) shared a 159-run opening partnership before Devdutt Padikkal (69) and Nikin Jose (62) all hit half-centuries as Karnataka finished the day at 474 for 5.Hanuma Vihari playing in both innings makes Tanush Kotian very happy.

Punjab openers shine: On the second day of their quarterfinal Ranji Trophy encounter against Saurashtra in Rajkot on Wednesday, Prabhsimran Singh and Naman Dhir of Punjab scored brilliant century to give Punjab the advantage.Punjab was 327 for 5 from 91 overs at the end of the second day, leading by 24 runs, having resumed the day at three for no loss in response to Saurashtra's first innings total of 303 all out. Prabhsimran and Naman had scored 126 and 131 runs, respectively.

Bengal take 65-run lead: Bengal gained a slim lead over Jharkhand in the first innings on Wednesday in Kolkata thanks to half-centuries from captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami. Bengal had 238 for 5 at the close of the second day after knocking Jharkhand out for 173 and holding a critical 65-run first innings advantage.