Chandigarh, Jan 29 (IANS) Veteran left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat claimed four wickets as Saurashtra bowled out Chandigarh for 136 on the opening day of their Elite Group B match in Ranji Trophy 2025-26, before taking a 31-run lead at Cricket Stadium, Sector 16, in Chandigarh on Thursday.
Opting to field first after winning the toss, Saurashtra bowled out Chandigarh in 42.1 overs, with Unadkat taking 4-44, while Chirag Jani and Chetan Sakariya picked up two wickets each, and Prerak Mankad chipped in with one scalp.
For Chandigarh, Jagjit Singh Sandhu and Arjit Singh scored 29 runs each, while Arjun Azad made 20. In response, Saurashtra reached 167/1 at stumps in 38 overs. Harvik Desai struck an unbeaten 80 off 117 balls, including nine fours and a six, while Jay Gohil was also not out on 61 off 59 deliveries.
The day also saw Saurashtra spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja being felicitated for making his 100th first-class appearance. Skipper Unadkat, team manager Mohansinh Jadeja, and coach Niraj Odedara presented a memento to him in the presence of both teams.
BCCI Apex Council member Jaydev Shah said, “Dharmendra is an outstanding cricketer with exceptional spin skills. He has been a great contributor to the game and has brought glory to his teams on many occasions.”
At Holkar Stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra shared the honours on a dramatic opening day, with 12 wickets falling in a must-win contest. MP were bowled out for 187, with Rajvardhan Hangargekar claiming five wickets. By the time stumps arrived, MP reduced Maharashtra to 52/2, with Prithvi Shaw and Arshin Kulkarni back in the pavilion.
At the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali, Punjab recovered from 168/6 to close on 303/9 against Karnataka on a turning pitch. Emanjot Chahal was unbeaten on 77, while Shreyas Gopal and Vidyadhar Patil picked up three wickets apiece for Karnataka, who need a victory to stay in contention for the knockouts.
In Porvorim, Goa ended the day at 279-8 against Kerala. Goa were powered to the total thanks to Suyash Prabhudessai’s 86 and Yash Kasvankar’s 50, while Arjun Tendulkar added a brisk 36. Ankit Sharma was the standout bowler for Kerala with 5-88, and was supported by Nedumankuzhy Basil’s 2-55 and Sachin Baby’s 1-36.
–IANS
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