The first day’s play of the quarterfinals stage saw some exciting action. Gujarat have ended the first day against Goa in a commanding position with 330 for loss off 4 wickets.
Bengal have recovered brilliantly from 141 for 6 and ended the first day on 308 for 6. Anustup Majumdar and Shahbaz Ahmed were the main contributors.
In the 3rd quarterfinals played at Ongole, the match is honoured even with Saurashtra ending the first day on 226 for 6.
The fourth quarterfinals played at Jammu ended with Karnataka at 14 for 2 as most of the day was halted due to bad light.
Gujarat versus Goa
In the first quarterfinals played at Valsad, Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel won the toss and decided to bat first at Valsad. Priyank Panchal and Samit Gohel looked confident against Prabudesai and Lakshay Garg with the new ball. Both played according to the merit of the ball. Felix Alemao was bought into the attack in 8th over but could not provide the breakthrough. After the drinks break, Goa bowlers could not put pressure on Gujarat openers.
Vijesh Prabhudesai provided the breakthrough as Panchal played a poor stroke to give a catch to Amonkar. Gohel and Panchal added 64 runs for the opening wicket. Gohel looked composed with his stroke play to reach his fifty off 100 balls. Bhargav Merai looked confident with his defence. At lunch, Gujarat scored 96 for 1.
It was an ideal start for Goa as Darshan Misal got the wicket of well set Samit Gohel for 52. Gohel and Merai added 43 runs for the 2nd wicket. Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel came to the crease and looked positive right from word go against a toothless Goa bowling line up. Both kept the scoreboard ticking with boundaries at will. Merai reached his fifty off just 66 balls. Patel made the batting look easy and reached his fifty off 66 balls. Gujarat went into tea break at 233 for 2.
The third session got off to a perfect start for Goa as Amit Verma dismissed Merai for a brilliant 84. Mirai and Patel added 139 runs for the 3rd wicket. Verma struck again to get rid of Manpreet Juneja cheaply to give Goa a chance to come back into the match. Goa missed 2 chances of getting run out Chirag Gandhi. On the other hand, Patel reached his century off 122 balls. Gujarat ended the first day in a strong position at 330 for 4. Patel and Gandhi have added so far 82 runs for the 5th wicket.
Gujarat 330 for 4 in 90 overs (Parthiv Patel 118*, Bhargav Merai 84, Amit Verma 2/73)
Bengal versus Odisha
In the 2nd quarterfinals played at DRIEMS Stadium, Cuttack, Odisha captain Senapati won the toss and decided to field first. The decision paid off as Suryakant Pradhan and Basant Mohanty reduced Bengal to 25 for 3. Arnab Nandi played with positive intent to put pressure on Odisha bowlers. Manoj Tiwary and Nandi were dismissed in quick succession which left Bengal in deep trouble at 46 for 5. Anup Majumdar and Shreevats Goswami rescued the innings with positive stroke play and made sure that Bengal ends the first session at 111 for 5.
After the lunch break, Majumdar and Goswami continued to play with positive intent which put pressure on the Odisha bowlers. Soon after lunch, Majumdar reached his fifty off 68 balls. Kanwar Singh Chohan broke the partnership getting the wicket of Goswami with a leg-side catch. Goswami and Majumdar added 95 runs for the 6th wicket.
Shahbaz Ahmed came to the crease and put the Odisha bowlers on the backfoot. Majumdar looked confident with his defence and stroke play. At tea, Bengal recovered to 209 for 6.
In the third session, Majumdar and Ahmed showed their class against Odisha bowlers. Majumdar reached his century off 128 balls which bought back Bengal into the match. Ahmed also stroked to his fifty off 90 balls. Both batsmen managed to avert the danger of losing 7th and ended the 1st day on 308 for 6. Ahmed and Majumdar have added so far 167 runs for the 7th wicket.
Bengal 308 for 6 in 86 overs (Anustup Majmudar 136*, Shahbaz Ahmed 82*, Kanwar Singh Chohan 2/52, Suryakant Pradhan 2/96)
Andhra Pradesh versus Saurashtra
The first day’s play between Andhra Pradesh and Saurashtra in the 3rd quarterfinals played at Ongole was honoured even.
Andhra Pradesh captain Srikar Bharat won the toss and decided to field first. It was an ideal start for the hosts as Stephen dismissed Harvik Desai for 0. Avi Barot and Parmar put the pressure on Andhra Pradesh bowlers with attacking stroke play. Prithvi Raj did the damage by taking the wicket of Barot. Barot and Parmar added 34 runs for the 2nd wicket. Raj got rid off the dangerous Parmar for 35 as Andhra reduced Saurashtra to 67 for 3. Sheldon Jackson and Jadeja played with positive intent taking Saurashtra to 108 for 3 at lunch.
After the lunch break, Jackson and Jadeja played with positive intent. Jackson reached his fifty off 70 balls before getting out the next ball. Jackson and Jadeja added 72 runs for the 4th wicket. Sasikanth struck to get rid off Vasavada cheaply to reduce Saurashtra at 140 for 5. Vishvaraj Jadeja and Chirag Jani rescued Saurashtra innings with a brilliant 81 runs stand for the 6th wicket. Jani remained not out on 53 while Mankad joined. Saurashtra ended the first day on 226 for 6.
Saurashtra 226 for 6 in 79 overs ( Vishvraj Jadeja 73, Sheldon Jackson 50, Chirag Jani 53*, Prithvi Raj 3/51, Sasikanth 2/82)
Karnataka versus Jammu and Kashmir
The match between Karnataka and Jammu Kashmir played at Jammu could only see 6 overs due to bad light. Karnataka captain Karun Nair won the toss and decided to bat first. It was not an ideal start as Devdutt Paddikal and R Samarth were dismissed cheaply. Karnataka were 14 for 2 when bad light called off play.
Karnataka 14 for 2 in 6 overs ( Karun Nair 4*, Siddarth 0* Aquib Nabi 1/6, Mujtaba Yousuf 1/5)
