Rajasthan's Ranji Trophy Knockout Hopes Take a Severe Hit Against Inspired Himachal Pradesh
The second day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match between Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh at the Anantam Ground in Jaipur unfolded as a tale of contrasting fortunes. Rajasthan, desperately needing a victory to keep their knockout qualification hopes alive, found themselves in deep trouble after Himachal Pradesh posted a commanding first-innings total.
Himachal Pradesh Builds a Formidable First Innings Total
Resuming their innings from an overnight score of 314 for 4, Himachal Pradesh added 92 more runs before being bowled out for 406, approximately an hour after the lunch break. At one stage, they appeared poised to cross the 450-run mark, sitting comfortably at 393 for 6. However, a dramatic collapse saw them lose their last four wickets for just 13 runs, preventing them from reaching an even more imposing total.
Nikhil Gangta, who was unbeaten on 66 at the start of the day, played a crucial knock of 84 runs from 186 deliveries, including eight boundaries, before falling to Aniket Choudhary. Earlier in the same over, the veteran fast bowler had dismissed Aryaman Dhaliwal, caught behind the wicket. The Himachal innings was anchored by significant contributions from Pukhraj Mann (118), Ankush Bains (72), and Innesh Mahajan (40).
For Rajasthan, the bowling attack was led by experienced left-arm paceman Khaleel Ahmed and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar, both of whom claimed three wickets each. Aniket Choudhary also chipped in with two important wickets.
Rajasthan's Batting Collapse Leaves Them Staring at Follow-On
In reply, Rajasthan's batting lineup, which was expected to perform well on a flat track, completely faltered. The hosts found themselves reeling at 115 for the loss of six wickets by the close of play on Day 2, still trailing by a massive 291 runs and facing the imminent threat of a follow-on.
Only opener Salman Khan, who scored 32 runs from 59 balls with six fours, and this season's find Mukul Choudhary, who contributed 24 runs from 48 deliveries including two sixes, managed to offer some resistance. The rest of the top-order batters disappointed, failing to rise to the occasion when it mattered most.
The home team's woes were compounded by two unfortunate incidents. Debutant opener Shiva Chauhan had to retire hurt on 15 after breaking his thumb, while captain Mahipal Lomror was run out for just 4 runs, further destabilizing the innings.
At stumps, Manav Suthar (8) and Ajay Kookna (4) were the unbeaten batsmen at the crease, with the responsibility now resting on the lower order to stage a recovery. Rajasthan will be hoping that their tailenders can wag effectively on Saturday morning to at least avoid the follow-on and keep their slim chances alive in this crucial encounter.
Brief Scores
Himachal Pradesh 406 in 122.1 overs (Pukhraj Mann 118, Nikhil Gangta 84, Ankush Bains 72, Innesh Mahajan 40; Khaleel Ahmed 3-68, Manav Suthar 3-76, Aniket Choudhary 2-79) vs Rajasthan 115/6 in 40 overs (Salman Khan 32, Mukul Choudhary 24, Deepak Hooda 15, Shiva Chauhan 15; Mukul Negi 3-16, Aryaman Dhaliwal 2-35).
