Ranji Trophy: 26-yr-old cracks solid double ton as Saurashtra turn screw on Chandigarh

Saurashtra’s captain Harvik Desai spearheaded a dominant performance on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B clash against Chandigarh. Resuming from an overnight score of 167/1, Saurashtra piled on the runs to reach a massive total of 453/3 before declaring. The highlight of the day was Desai’s maiden double century; he remained unbeaten on 200 off 305 balls, an innings punctuated by 21 boundaries and a solitary six.

Harvik Desai stands tall with robust double ton for Saurashtra

Desai was well-supported by his teammates, although two of them fell agonisingly short of their own personal milestones. Jay Gohil played a brisk innings of 98 off just 111 balls before being dismissed, while Arpit Vasavada contributed a solid 96, featuring six fours and two sixes. Prerak Mankad added an unbeaten 26 to help stretch the lead. On a tough day for the bowlers, Chandigarh’s Karthik Sandil and Rohit Dhanda managed to claim one wicket each.

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With a massive first-innings lead of 317 runs, Saurashtra put Chandigarh back in to bat late in the day. At stumps, the hosts had reached 31 for no loss after nine overs, with openers Arjun Azad and Shivam Bhambri navigating the tricky final period. Despite the steady start to their second innings, Chandigarh still face a daunting 286-run deficit as they head into Day 3.

Punjab take upper hand against Karnataka

In Mohali, Punjab gained the upper hand behind a disciplined bowling performance from Harpreet Brar. The left-arm spinner’s four-wicket haul ripped through Karnataka’s lineup, but the visitors managed to stay in the hunt thanks to a steadying 59 from KL Rahul. By the close of Day 2, an unbeaten partnership between Shreyas Gopal (42*) and Vidyadhar Patil (23*) pushed Karnataka to 255/6, leaving them trailing Punjab’s first-innings total by just 54 runs.

The situation was far more one-sided in Chandigarh, where Saurashtra firmly asserted their dominance. After amassing a massive first-innings total, the visitors secured a formidable lead of 317 runs. Chandigarh's openers, Arjun Azad and Shivam Bhambri, managed to survive the final nine overs of the day to reach 31/0, but the hosts still face a steep uphill climb, trailing by 286 runs heading into the third morning.

Meanwhile, at Porvorim, Rohan Kunnummal took center stage for Kerala with a brilliant, unbeaten 132. His century guided last year’s runners-up to a comfortable 237/2 by stumps, cutting Goa's lead down to 118 runs. Earlier in the day, Goa was bowled out for 355; while Suyash Prabhudessai impressed with 86, it was Kerala’s Ankit Sharma who stole the spotlight with the ball, claiming a six-wicket haul to keep the hosts' total within reach.