Vijay Merchant trophy: Uttar Pradesh close in on massive win over Gujarat

Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh dominated the second day and were just four wickets shy of a massive win over Gujarat in their Vijay Merchant Trophy (Under-16) tournament match in Shimoga, Karnataka on Tuesday.After piling up a mammoth 415 for 6 in their first innings, UP bowlers wreaked havoc and reduced Gujarat's second innings to 6 for 45, leaving the hosts staring at an innings defeat. Gujarat are still trailing by 267 runs with only four wickets in hand, and only a miracle can now save them. UP took a commanding first-innings lead of 312 runs. Later, medium pacers Prithviraj Singh and Rudra Sharma claimed two and three wickets respectively as Gujarat slumped to 6 for 37. Aryan Tyagi also chipped in with a wicket. At stumps, Dviya Desai was batting on 16, while Ridham Patel was yet to open his account. The highest partnership of the innings so far was a modest 13 runs for the fifth wicket. Earlier, resuming the day at 2 for 118, UP captain Aalok Kumar and Arush Gupta laid the foundation for a huge total with a 297-run stand before the declaration. One-down batsman Kamran Ali and skipper Aalok Kumar emerged as the main contributors, both scoring centuries. Kamran Ali struck a blistering 126 off 148 balls, smashing seven boundaries and nine sixes, while Aalok Kumar compiled a patient 127 from 255 deliveries, studded with 21 fours. UP's innings was built around three substantial partnerships. Aalok Kumar and Arush Gupta added 94 runs for the fourth wicket in 184 balls before Arush was run out for 40. Thereafter, Aalok Kumar combined with overnight retired-hurt Kamran Ali to forge a vital 104-run partnership in 164 balls. Ridham Patel broke the stand by dismissing Aalok Kumar, caught by Jayvardhan Singh. Kamran then stitched together an 84-run stand with Anay Awasthi, who scored 43 off 60 balls before falling to Vansh Shah. Kamran later added a quick 49 runs with Aarav in just 37 balls before he was caught by substitute fielder Siddharanjan Singh off Trinabh Shukla, Gujarat's most successful bowler with three wickets. UP declared shortly thereafter, with Aarav and Aryan unbeaten on 15 and 13 respectively, setting the stage for their bowlers to put the team on the verge of a comprehensive innings victory. Brief scores: Gujarat first innings – 103 and second innings – 6 for 45 (Divya Desai no 16; Prithviraj Singh 3/15, Rudra Sharma 2/17) UP first innings – 6 for 415 declared (Kamran Ali 126, Aalok Kumar 127, Rudraveer 39, Arush Gupta 40, Anay Awasthi 43; Trinabh Shukla 3/101).