Rajasthan spinner Manav Suthar stole the show in his side's Ranji Trophy encounter against Chhattisgarh. He did so by racking up 8 wickets in the second innings which helped Rajasthan in bundling out their opponents for just 109 runs in their second innings and set up a modest target of 56 runs. The Chhattisgarh batting order crumbled in front of Suthar, who recorded figures of 8/42 in 22.3 overs. Rajasthan went on to easily chase down the target and win the match comprehensively by 9 wickets on Day 4.
Baroda spinner Mahesh Pithiya also wreaked havoc in the match against Odisha and played a key role in his side's 7-wicket win. He recorded figures of 6/63 and massively helped Baroda in bundling out the opposition for 174 runs in the second innings and set up a target of just 33 runs. Baroda went on to chase down the target and won the match by 7 wickets to get their Ranji Trophy campaign off to a great start.
Shami impresses for Bengal
On the other hand, veteran pacer Mohammed Shami went on to send a clear message to the selectors with his stunning spell of 4/38 that floored Uttarkhand's batting order. The 35-year-old had picked up three scalps in the first innings and went on to better his performance on the second occasion. Thanks to his spell Bengal bundled out Uttarakhand for 265 runs and set up a target of 155 for themselves. Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran's gritty knock of 71 ensured that the side reached the target comfortably on Day 4.
Kishan's Jharkhand start strong
Meanwhile, the Ishan Kishan-led Jharkhand side also started their Ranji Trophy campaign on a strong note and defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 114 runs. Kishan was named the Player of the Match for his stunning knock of 173, but the bowlers also did a brilliant job. They bundled out the opposition for 93 and 212 in their first and second innings respectively.
Goa and Services also racked up wins in their matches against Chandigarh and Tripura respectively. A total of 8 matches ended as draws in the first round of the Ranji Trophy while the match between Meghalaya and Mizoram got abandoned without a ball being played throughout the four days. The second round of the tournament will commence from October 25.