Ranji Trophy: Prithvi Shaw Leads Solid Reply After Sanju Samson’s Fifty; Rajat Patidar Hits Double-Hundred For MP | Cricket News

Rajat Patidar (left) and Prithvi Shaw (PTI/AFP)

After a horror of a start in their first innings of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 opener against Kerala, Maharashtra put up a solid show to close out the play on Day 3 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Maharashtra openers – Prithvi Shaw and Arshin Kulkarni – added 51 runs for the opening wicket before bad light forced early stumps, extending the lead to 71 runs.

This was after Jalaj Saxena (3/46) combined with Vicky Ostwal (2/25), Ranjeesh Gurbani (2/49) and Mukesh Choudhary (2/52) to bowl out Kerala for 219 and thereby taking a slim 20-run lead. For Kerala, Sanju Samson top-scored with 54 off 63.

Saurashtra Take First Innings Lead

In Rajkot, Saurashtra’s last-wicket pair of Chetan Sakariya and Yuvrajsinh Dodiya waged a battle to give their team a crucial four-run first innings lead despite Karnataka legspinner Shreyas Gopal grabbing eight wickets in an excellent spell on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match.

Resuming from their overnight 200 for four, Saurashtra were in danger of conceding the innings lead after slipping to 342 for nine with Shreyas (8/110) doing the bulk of damage.

But Chetan Sakariya (29 off 72) and Yuvrajsinh Dodiya (13* off 34) added 34 runs for the 10th wicket as the home side made 376, against Karnataka’s 372.

In their second innings, Karnataka were 89 for one for a lead of 85 runs. Skipper Mayank Agarwal (31) and Devdutt Padikkal (18) are batting at stumps.

In the morning session, Prerak Mankad (27) was the first to depart, falling leg before to Shreyas. But veteran Arpit Vasavada (58) and Gajjar Sammar (45) shared a solid stand of 57 for the sixth wicket as Saurashtra moved close to 300-run mark.

Shreyas returned to trap Vasavada in front of the wicket, and soon he added the scalps of Sammar and Dharmendra Jadeja to his kitty. Shikhar Shetty breached the defence of Jaydev Unadkat to reduce Saurashtra to 342 for nine, and the visitors looked set to take the innings lead and three points.

But Sakariya and Dodiya had other ideas as the last wicket pair stoutly resisted Karnataka bowlers for nearly 16 overs. Dodiya edged pacer Abhilash Shetty through the slips to take Saurashtra to 370 from 366, and Agarwal handed the ball back to Shreyas in search of a decisive breakthrough. But Sakariya slog-swept the leg-spinner for six over mid-wicket to hand his side the innings lead, a moment he celebrated with a punch in the air. Shreyas trapped Sakariya leg before two balls later to bring curtains down on Saurashtra innings, but by then they had done just enough to ensure three points from this contest.

Brief Scores

At Rajkot, Karnataka: 372 all out and 89/1 in 28 overs (Mayank Agarwal 31 batting, Devdutt Padikkal 18 batting) vs Saurashtra: 376 all out 121.3 overs (Chirag Jani 90, Harvik Desai 41, Arpit Vasavada 58; Shreyas Gopal 8/110).

At Thiruvananthapuram, Maharashtra: 239 all out and 51/0 in 9 overs (Prithvi Shaw 37 batting) vs Kerala: 219 all out in 63.2 overs (Sanju Samson 54, Salman Nizar 49; Rajneesh Gurbani 2/49, Jalaj Saxena 3/46).

At Porvorim, Goa: 566 all out vs Chandigarh: 137 all out in 53.3 overs (Jagjit Singh Sandhu 31; Darshan Mishal 3/31, Lalit Yadav 3/17) and 159/3 in 40 overs (Arjun Azad 76 batting, AK Kaushik 38 batting; Arjun Tendulkar 1/35).

At Indore, Punjab: 232 all out vs Madhya Pradesh: 519/8 in 146 overs (Rajat Patidar 205 batting, Venkatesh Iyer 73, Arshad Khan 60 batting; Prerit Dutta 4/145, Naman Dhir 3/110).