Surat, Feb 12 – Akash Pandey, the left-arm spinner of Railways, produced a remarkable bowling performance, taking nine wickets for 71 runs against Goa in their Ranji Trophy Group C match. Pandey’s efforts helped Railways secure a 63-run victory. The spinner dismissed eight Goa batters on the final day and had taken the wicket of opener Amogh Sunil Desai on Sunday. With this win, Railways now occupy the fourth spot in the group standings with 18 points.
Railways set a target of 306 runs for Goa to win the match. However, Goa could only manage 242 runs in 65.2 overs, falling short by 63 runs. Pandey was the standout performer with his exceptional bowling figures in Goa’s second innings. He bowled 26.2 overs, picking up wickets at regular intervals. Railways earned six points from the victory, while Goa failed to secure any points.
Pandey’s nine-wicket haul is a rare feat in the history of the Ranji Trophy. Only two players, Premangsu Chatterjee of Bengal and Pradeep Sunderam of Rajasthan, have achieved the feat of picking up all 10 wickets in one innings of a Ranji Trophy match. Chatterjee accomplished the feat in 1957 against Assam, while Sunderam did the same in 1985 against Vidarbha.
In other matches, Karnata and Tamil Nadu played out a draw in Chennai. Karnataka, who secured three points for their first innings lead, are currently at the top of the group standings with 24 points. Tamil Nadu is in second place with 22 points, followed by Gujarat with 19 points.
Gujarat, on the other hand, registered an emphatic 299-run victory over Punjab in Mohali. Priyajitsing Jadeja shined with the ball, claiming five wickets for 39 runs to help dismiss Punjab for a mere 111 runs in their second innings. Chasing a target of 411 runs, Punjab’s batting lineup collapsed, with none of their players managing to reach 20 runs. Gujarat earned six points from the win, while Punjab failed to secure any points.
With only one round of matches left in the group league, teams are now battling it out for a spot in the knockout stage. The competition is heating up as teams aim to secure crucial points in their pursuit of glory in the Ranji Trophy.
