Rawat’s valiant ton in vain as Jharkhand dominate Baroda

Baroda’s Shashwat Rawat produced a determined century, but his resilience wasn’t enough to prevent Jharkhand from taking complete control with a commanding 215-run first-innings lead in their Ranji Trophy Group A encounter on Monday.

Resuming at 78 for 3, Rawat carried his bat with admirable patience and grit, converting his overnight score of 20 into a well-compiled 106 off 230 balls. His innings, laced with five boundaries and a six, formed the backbone of Baroda’s reply as they reached 291 all out in 103.2 overs, well short of Jharkhand’s imposing 506.

Despite Rawat’s heroics, Jharkhand remained firmly ahead in the contest. By stumps on Day 3, they had extended their overall lead to 225 runs, reaching 10 for 1 in their second innings, with opener Shikhar Mohan unbeaten on 9 alongside Rishav Raj.

Rawat’s fight was not just about runs, it was about survival. Coming in when Baroda were in deep trouble, the middle-order batter anchored a crucial 123-run fifth-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Mitesh Patel, who scored a composed 61 from 147 deliveries. Their partnership blunted Jharkhand’s attack for nearly two sessions and briefly raised hopes of avoiding a follow-on.

However, once the duo departed, the resistance crumbled. Rawat was dismissed by pacer Sahil Raj, who finished with impressive figures of 4 for 63. Rishav Raj also impressed with the ball, claiming 4 for 70 as Baroda’s innings folded despite batting for more than 72 overs on the day.

Jharkhand, who had the option to enforce a follow-on after securing a hefty lead, chose to bat again, likely aiming to pile up more runs quickly on the final morning before going for an outright victory.

Meanwhile, in other Group A matches across the country, results and performances varied widely:

• In Kanpur:

• Uttar Pradesh completed a dominant victory over Nagaland by an innings and 265 runs. After declaring at 535 for 6, UP bundled out Nagaland for 117 and 153, with Shivam Sharma (5/25) leading the bowling attack.

• In Nagpur:

• Vidarbha’s openers Dhruv Shorey and Aman Mokhade struck unbeaten centuries as they declared their second innings at 218 for 2. Odisha, trailing by a huge margin, reached 44 without loss at stumps.

• In Visakhapatnam:

• Andhra clinched a hard-fought four-wicket win against Tamil Nadu, chasing down 201 in just 41.2 overs. Openers Abhishek Reddy (70) and Karan Shinde (51) were the stars in a low-scoring thriller.

Brief scores:

In Vadodara: Jharkhand 506 & 10/1 vs Baroda 291 (Rawat 106, Solanki 65, Mitesh Patel 61; Sahil Raj 4/63, Rishav Raj 4/70).

In Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh 535/6 decl bt Nagaland 117 & 153 (Chetan Bist 53; Shivam Sharma 5/25, Karan Sharma 3/72) by an innings and 265 runs.

In Nagpur: Vidarbha 286 & 218/2 decl (Mokhade 101*, Shorey 101) vs Odisha 160 & 44/0.

In Visakhapatnam: Tamil Nadu 182 & 195 (B. Sachin 51) lost to Andhra 177 & 201/6 (Abhishek Reddy 70, Shinde 51; Sai Kishore 3/46) by 4 wickets.