Mohammed Shami took four wickets to help Bengal bowl Delhi out for 240 on Sunday in the Ranji Trophy. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma claimed five wickets for Jammu and Kashmir against Madhya Pradesh. Three players scored centuries across different matches, as teams started their campaigns with strong performances on opening day.
Out-of-favour India pacer Mohammed Shami delivered an impressive performance with the ball, claiming four wickets to help Bengal bowl Delhi out for 240 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match on Sunday. Shami returned figures of 4/30, while defending champions Jammu and Kashmir also enjoyed a productive day as Rohit Sharma claimed five wickets against Madhya Pradesh.
Shami's performance came as Bengal exploited the seaming conditions to dismiss Delhi in 77.3 overs after opting to bowl. Akash Deep picked up two wickets for 74 runs, while Mukesh Kumar claimed one for 43. Off-spinner Amir Ghani also made an impact with three wickets for 45 runs.
Shami accounted for Yash Dhull, Ayush Doseja, Hrithik Shokeen and Divij Mehra. Shokeen top-scored for Delhi with 56 off 98 deliveries, but the hosts could not build a substantial total against Bengal's disciplined attack.
ROHIT TAKES FIVE
Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir made a strong start to their title defence, bowling Madhya Pradesh out for 196 in their Elite Group A encounter at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium.
Rohit Sharma returned figures of 5/36 from 21.2 overs, while Sunil Kumar claimed four wickets for 69 runs. Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma top-scored with 79 off 174 balls, including eight fours, but received limited support as wickets fell regularly.
Jammu and Kashmir were 3/1 at stumps, trailing by 193 runs after Avesh Khan dismissed opener Shubham Khajuria for a duck.
CENTURIES STEADY TEAMS
Shikhar Mohan struck 143 off 196 balls to guide Jharkhand to 289/5 against Kerala in Jamshedpur. His innings featured 18 fours and two sixes, while Utkarsh Singh contributed 71 off 147 deliveries. Kerala's Vaisakh Chandran claimed three wickets for 71 runs.
Maharashtra reached 287/5 against Services in New Delhi, thanks to Ankit Bawne's unbeaten 105 off 232 balls. Captain Prithvi Shaw added 70 off 73 deliveries, while Arjun Sharma picked up three wickets for Services.
Odisha also enjoyed a strong start against Gujarat, finishing at 272/3 in Ahmedabad. Gaurav Choudhary remained unbeaten on 121 off 263 balls, while Sandeep Pattnaik was not out on 69 off 139 deliveries.
VIDARBHA, UP PROGRESS
Vidarbha reached 300/5 in 85 overs against Puducherry in Nagpur, recovering from early setbacks with contributions from Yash Rathod and captain Akshay Wadkar.
Uttar Pradesh ended the day at 195/3 against Bihar at the Rajgir International Cricket Stadium, with Madhav Kaushik helping stabilise the innings after early wickets.
Baroda finished at 204/3 against Goa at the Panjim Gymkhana Ground after opting to bat first.
Shami's four-wicket haul headlined the day's action, with Rohit's five-for and centuries from Mohan, Bawne and Choudhary also making their mark across the Ranji Trophy fixtures.