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Ranji Trophy: Dhruv Patel gives Baroda the edge against sloppy Uttar Pradesh

Dhruv Patel's maiden first-class century helped Baroda reach 269/6 against Uttar Pradesh in Kanpur.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

Apex Sports News graphic: Ranji Trophy: Dhruv Patel gives Baroda the edge against sloppy Uttar Pradesh
Photo: Apex Sports News graphic

Dhruv Patel scored 124 as Baroda reached 269/6 on day one against Uttar Pradesh at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. UP dropped four catches and both teams entered the match with two wins and a draw from three games.

Key takeaways

  • Dhruv Patel hit his maiden first-class century, scoring 124 off 267 balls.
  • Baroda reached 269/6 at the close of day one against Uttar Pradesh.
  • UP dropped four catches during Baroda's innings.
  • Karan Sharma took 3/39 for Uttar Pradesh.
  • Baroda are second in Elite Group A on 17 points, one ahead of third-placed UP on 16.

Dhruv Patel’s maiden first-class century anchored Baroda’s innings on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Uttar Pradesh at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on Monday. Baroda chose to bat and reached 269/6 when bad light ended play.

The Ranji Trophy is an annual domestic first-class cricket championship organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, with teams representing the various member associations of the BCCI taking part in the tournament.

Why it matters

Both teams came into the fixture with two wins and a draw from three matches. Baroda sit second in Elite Group A on 17 points, one ahead of third-placed UP on 16. Both teams needed to win to strengthen their knockout prospects.

Match report

UP began well after Baroda chose to bat. Yash Dayal removed Priyanshu Moliya cheaply, and Kartik Yadav dismissed Shivalik Sharma for 20 to reduce Baroda to 55/2 in the 23rd over.

However, four missed catches allowed Baroda batters to rebuild the innings and accelerate against an attack that had otherwise kept the scoring in check.

The errors proved especially damaging on a pitch where runs were not coming easily, with Baroda scoring at just over three runs an over.

Patel’s century

Dhruv Patel was the backbone of Baroda’s innings, scoring 124 off 267 balls with 17 fours and one six. His knock combined discipline and placement, punishing UP every time a chance went down. Patel eventually fell to Karan Sharma at 249/4 in the 80th over, but by then he had given Baroda a platform that had looked unlikely after the early setbacks.

Middle-order contributions

Shashwat Rawat made 47 from 88 balls with eight fours before becoming Karan Sharma’s second victim, caught by wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal. His 141-run third-wicket partnership with Patel had blunted UP’s attack and shifted the momentum towards Baroda. Mitesh Patel then added 49 off 70 deliveries with seven fours before edging Kartik Yadav to Juyal.

Late collapse

Dhruv Patel’s dismissal sparked a collapse. Raj Limbani was dismissed first ball by Karan Sharma after Mitesh Patel fell as Baroda lost three wickets at the score of 249/3. Debutant Manan Solanki was 11 not out while captain Atit Sheth was nine not out. Their unbroken seventh-wicket stand kept Baroda’s hopes of pushing their score past the 300 mark after bad light ended the day’s play.

Bowling figures

29. Kartik Yadav took 2/73, extending his form after claiming 27 wickets in UP’s first three matches. Yash Dayal, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari and Prashant Veer bowled tidily without reward.

UP’s decision to include all-rounder Prashant Veer in place of in-form left-arm spinner Vaibhav Chaudhary did not pay off, as Veer went wicketless, conceding 53 runs in 12 overs.

What happens next

With Mahesh Pithiya, Rasikh Salam and Bhargav Bhatt yet to bat, Baroda will aim to push their score on Tuesday morning. UP will hope to improve their fielding and catching first before their turn to bat comes.

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