Match evenly poised as Pondicherry take 164 runs lead against Rajasthan in Ranji Trophy

JAIPUR: Pondicherry entered the match with a reputation of an underdog who would struggle against Rajasthan’s bowling line-up that boasts of reputed players like Deepak and Rahul Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Aniket Choudhary and Manav Suthar.
Despite the air around them, the visitors fought hard to finish at 207/6 with 164 runs lead on Day Three, leaving the match evenly poised.
Starting at the overnight score of 234/6, centurion of Day Two, Rajasthan captain Deepak Hooda (128 off 197 balls) along with tailenders played for another 12.3 overs. They added 57 more runs before Pondicherry left-arm spinners Sagar Udeshi and Ankit Sharma bundled them out at 291.
Coming out to set the target, openers Akash Kargave (54 off 50 balls) and Ajay Rohera (39 off 83 balls) gave Pondicherry a spirited start to overhaul the deficit of 43 runs and take a lead of 28 runs by 15.1 overs in their second innings of their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy 2024-25 game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Sunday.
For Rajasthan, giving the ball to Rahul immediately paid off as he struck twice on two consecutive deliveries of the 16th over to dismiss Kargave and Paras Ratnaparkhe on a golden duck.
Like in the first innings, Rohera and Anand Singh Bais shared the responsibility to help set a good score. But it was Suthar who foxed Rohera with his left-arm spin to end the Pondicherry duo’s 45 runs partnership in the 30th over. Bais was then briefly joined by Ankit Sharma (23 off 27 balls) and his captain Arun Karthick (11 off 6 balls).
Rajasthan seamers troubled the batsmen with reverse swing. Bais was a victim of it as he was adjudged LBW off Deepak Chahar and had to depart at 45 off 107 balls.
Because of bad weather, the last 20 minutes of the game were lost. At stumps, Aman Khan was playing at 11 not out off 50 balls while Fabid Ahmed was at 3 off 12.
Anything above 200 will be tough for Rajasthan: Bais
Sharing his thoughts on the day’s play, the 33-year-old Bais said that it was not that difficult to bat on. “The plan was to stay long at the crease. Batting on the third day wasn’t that tough. It’s only that a few balls kept low. And with the old ball, Rajasthan experienced seamers were quite effective with their reverse swing that helped them get a couple of wickets later in the day,” the middle-order Pondicherry batsman stated.
He added that the team will try to post a target of at least 200. “Batting on the fourth day is going to be tough. If we give them a target of 200 plus, it would be tough for Rajasthan.”
He shrugged off the tag of underdog and said that Pondicherry cannot be taken lightly. “Almost all Rajasthan bowlers have played India, and Manav also comes with a lot of exposure and is in the India reckoning. We know they are a strong bowling unit, but we are also confident of our abilities and will make it tough for them,” he said.