Madhya Pradesh made manner into their first Ranji Trophy finals in 23 years after defeating Bengal by 174 runs on the fifth and closing day of the essential fixture on the KSCA Cricket Floor in Alur on Saturday. Enthralling performances by Kumar Karthikeya and Himanshu Mantri helped Madhya Pradesh sail previous the two-time champions.
After MP set a goal of 350 runs, Bengal fell sufferer to the cleverness of spin bowler Kartikeya (5/67) and have been bowled out for 175 in 65.2 overs. The one important rating for Bengal within the second innings was of skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, who stood on the crease like a lone warrior and notched up 78 runs off 157 deliveries earlier than falling prey to Karthikeya.
The second-best rating was from all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, who scored an unbeaten 22 off 82 whereas battling for a draw alongside Akash Deep (20 off 11). That is the primary time for the reason that 1998-99 season that MP has certified for the finals. The final time they entered the massive stage, they misplaced to Karnataka. They are going to be up in opposition to probably the most highly effective aspect of the match, the 41-time champions Mumbai, on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
MP selected to bat first and scored 341 runs, courtesy of Mantri’s 165. Bengal then recovered from 54/5 to 273 with a whole bunch from Shahbaz and Manoj Tiwary. Thereafter, MP was worn out for 281 runs, permitting Bengal an opportunity to win by chasing 350 runs. Of their second innings, captain Aditya Shrivastava (82 off 225) and Rajat Patidar (79 off 149) have been the main scorers as they helped MP attain 281 earlier than the bowlers fulfilled their duties within the closing half.
Talking of the second semi-final between Mumbai and Uttar Pradesh, the previous entered the grand finale after the sport resulted in a stalemate. Their first-innings lead in opposition to Uttar Pradesh proved as a bonus and helped them acquire the higher hand as they sailed previous their opponents. Mumbai was knocked out for 393 after being put in to bat first. Hardik Tamore and Yashasvi Jaiswal each scored a whole bunch. In response, UP crumbled for 180 runs.
