Umang-Karan pair keeps Gujarat alive

Ahmedabad: Gujarat were battling to avoid defeat at the end of the Day Three of their Ranji Trophy match againsr Kerala in Rajkot on Saturday. At the stumps, Gujarat were 128 for five, a lead of 77 runs. They appeared in deeper trouble when they lost their fifth wicket at 84. But Umang Kumar (25) and Karan Patel (28) steading the ship and their unbeaten stand of 44 gave Gujarat hopes to salvage the match.Earlier, Kerala resumed from their overnight score of 277 for four and added 162 runs to their total. They were all out for 439, having secured a crucial 51-run first innings lead. Vishnu Vinod scored 113. For Gujarat, Siddharth Desai took five for 132.Saurashtra look set for winSaurashtra looked on course to a much-needed win as they captued five wickets in the second innings of Odisha. Following on after conceding a 336-run first-innings lead, Odisha were 115 for five, still trailing by 221 runs.Odisha started the day at 53 for three in their first innings but were bundled out for 165. Jaydev Unadkat and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took four wickets each as only Rajesh Dhuper (51) offered some resistance. Following on, Odisha fared no better and it would take a huge effort on their part to save the match. Chandigarh batters defy BarodaChandigarh batters displayed better skills in the second innings as they defied Baroda bowlers to raise the hopes of saving the match. On Saturday, the Day Three of their Ranji Trophy match in Cuttack, Chandigarh were 231 for two, still 118 runs behind but they will look take to the ground on Sunday with more positivity. Earlier, Baroda’s first innings ended at 517, a lead of 349 runs. Atit Seth (59) and Bhargav Bhatt (75) added 116 for the ninth wicket. Delhi all but out of quarterfinals race Ishant Sharma got a wicket in his first spell but never looked incisive in his nine overs as Jharkhand, riding twin centuries from Nazim Siddiqui and Kumar Suraj, put Delhi on the brink of elimination in their group H Ranji Trophy match. Jharkhand ended the third and penultimate day at 288 for five in 76 overs and, with an overall lead of 315, is all but sure of three points. They would probably bat another hour on the final day to nullify any remote chance of Delhi chasing the target in just five hours. If Delhi end with another one point, they would only survive in theory as even a seven point game (bonus) against Chattisgarh won't allow them to surpass Tamil Nadu.