Ranji Trophy | Uttarakhand bowlers dazzle as Aditya battles for Jharkhand on first day

Ranji Trophy | Uttarakhand bowlers dazzle as Aditya battles for Jharkhand on first day

The Uttarakhand bowlers fired in unison to give their side the upper hand against Jharkhand on the opening day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at the Keenan Stadium here on Friday.

Pacer Janmejay Joshi bagged a four-wicket haul while left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra and 18-year-old quick Aditya Rawat scalped three apiece as Uttarakhand toppled Jharkhand for just 235. At close of play, Uttarakhand struck four without loss off the only over it faced.

The 24-year-old Janmejay utilised his tall frame to add a dash of bounce to his back-of-a-length deliveries. After Uttarakhand opted to field, he began by having in-form opener Shikhar Mohan and No. 3 batter Manishi caught behind. Janmejay later closed off the Jharkhand innings with a two-wicket burst, sending back Aditya Singh, whose fighting 83 held together the home team’s batting effort.

Aditya walked in to the middle right before lunch, with his side tottering at 80 for five. Uttarakhand had just gained control of the game through Rawat as he removed Kumar Kushagra and Robin Minz in back-to-back overs. The 27-year-old Aditya’s arrival, though, sparked a shift in the narrative.

He formed a crucial 90-run stand with skipper Virat Singh for the sixth wicket to halt Uttarakhand’s hard-earned momentum. The left-handed duo began by digging in deep, adding just 14 runs from the first 12 overs of the second session. Soon after, Virat and Aditya picked up the pace as the visiting bowlers slowly started to err with their lengths. While the former used late cuts to gather boundaries, the latter dealt in sweeps and cover drives.

But Uttarakhand reined in the home team’s revival in the final session. Virat fell three runs short of a well-deserved half-century after he played on against Rawat. Mayank added two wickets to strengthen the away team’s hold, before Janmejay completed his haul.