Ranji Trophy, semi-finals: Ton-up Mayank power Karnataka; Anustup, Sudip fire
Day 1 of the 2023 Ranji Trophy semi-finals belonged to the batters. There were three centurions in the form of Mayank Agarwal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, and Anustup Majumdar. Mayank powered Karnataka's innings (against Saurashtra) along with Srinivas Sharath, while Sudip and Anustup rescued Bengal against Madhya Pradesh. Notably, both Karnataka and Bengal faced a batting collapse. Here are the key stats.
Mayank slams his 15th FC ton
Saurashtra won the toss and opted to bowl at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Their bowlers justified the decision as Karnataka were reduced to 79/4. Skipper Mayank held one end while others continued to depart. He took Karnataka from 112/5 to 229/5 along with wicket-keeper Srinivas Sharath (58*). As a result, Mayank completed his 15th century in First-Class cricket (110*).
Mayank averages nearly 80 this season
Mayank is enjoying good form in the ongoing tourney. His scores across 12 innings read 8, 73, 51, 50, 117, 14, 52*, 10, 208, 20, 83, and 110* (ongoing). He has amassed 796 runs at an average of 79.60. No other Karnataka batter owns more runs this season. His tally of 15 sixes is only second to Manish Pandey (20) among Karnataka batters.
Rescuing knocks from Anustup, Sudip
Bengal were reduced to 51/2 after skipper Manoj Tiwary elected to field at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore. Abhimanyu Easwaran and Karan Lal departed having shared a 51-run partnership. Sudip and Anustup then added over 200 runs, taking Bengal to 292/2. Both of them completed their tons in this period. However, Avesh Khan and Anubhav Agarwal dismissed them in quick succession.
Fourth FC ton for Sudip
Sudip, playing his 16th First-Class match, slammed his fourth century in the format. He also raced to 1,100 runs in red-ball cricket. His tally also includes six half-centuries. The right-handed batter made his FC debut for Bengal against Saurashtra in the 2020 Ranji Trophy final in March. In the semi-final on Wednesday, Sudip smashed 112 off 213 balls (12 fours, 2 sixes).
13th FC century for Anustup
Anustup, playing his 79th First-Class match, hammered his 13th century in the format. He also completed 4,600 runs in red-ball cricket. His tally also includes 21 half-centuries. The right-handed batter made his FC debut for Bengal against Mumbai in the 2004 Ranji Trophy final in December. In the semi-final, Anustup slammed 120 off 206 balls (13 fours, 1 six).
What about the bowlers?
Kushang Patel was Saurashtra's pick of bowlers on Day 1. The right-arm pacer took two wickets for 64 runs in 16 overs. On the other hand, Anubhav Agarwal snapped up two wickets for MP. He conceded just 21 runs in 12 overs.
