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Ranji Trophy: UP push for win against Pondicherry as spinners rule

Zeeshan Ansari and Kartik Yadav helped Uttar Pradesh tighten their grip on the Elite Group A match at Puducherry.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

A cricket match, general view
Cricket match (general file photo, not from this event) Photo: Thomas Bremond / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Uttar Pradesh forced Pondicherry to follow on and reached 39/0 at stumps on the penultimate day. Zeeshan Ansari took 4/11 as Pondicherry folded for 172.

Key takeaways

  • Uttar Pradesh posted 333 in the first innings at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Stadium.
  • Pondicherry were dismissed for 172 and forced to follow on.
  • Zeeshan Ansari returned 4/11 from 18.1 overs to take his season tally to 16 wickets.
  • Kartik Yadav added 3/60 from 23 overs, while Yash Dayal took 2/18.
  • Pondicherry ended day four on 39/0, still trailing by 122 runs.

Uttar Pradesh tightened the noose around hosts Pondicherry on the penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Stadium, Puducherry on Wednesday.

UP, who had posted 333 in the first innings, are chasing their third straight win in this Ranji season. Forced to follow on after being dismissed for 172, Pondicherry were 39/0 in 11 overs at stumps, still trailing Uttar Pradesh by 122 runs.

1 probing overs. He took his season’s wickets tally to 16. His accuracy and drift proved too much for Pondicherry’s middle and lower order as he removed Aman Khan, Sagar Trivedi and Karan Kannan in quick succession, before wrapping up the innings by bowling Sagar Udeshi.

Pondicherry had begun steadily with captain Neyan Kangayan making a fluent 46 off 58 balls. But once the innings slipped from 64/3 to 95/5, Ansari and Kartik Yadav took control.

Prasad Pawar offered the only substantial resistance with a patient 39 from 94 deliveries, but his dismissal at 170 effectively ended Pondicherry’s hopes of avoiding the follow-on. Kartik Yadav, the teenage left-arm spinner, supported Ansari superbly with 3/60 from 23 overs.

He accounted for Mohit Kale, Ankit Sharma and Prasad Pawar, maintaining relentless pressure with seven maidens. ","There was no change in my attitude in this match too as I didn’t try anything special, but kept hitting the right spots," said Ansari. "

UP build first-innings lead

UP had recovered from a difficult start to post 333 in 124.5 overs. Karan Sharma anchored the innings with a commanding 167 off 253 balls (13x4, 6x6) after the top order had faltered. Pacer Shivam Mavi provided valuable late impetus with a brisk 50 from 61 deliveries, sharing useful stands with the lower order. Sagar Udeshi was Pondicherry’s most successful bowler with 4/64, while Ankit Sharma took 3 for 73.

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

In the 2025–26 season, the competition was contested by 38 teams, including at least one team from each of the 28 states and four of the eight union territories. The matches are held across various cricket grounds and stadiums in India.

The final day will decide whether UP secure the win.

First innings figures and day-four position

Team

Innings

Score

Uttar Pradesh

1st innings

333

Pondicherry

1st innings

172

Pondicherry

2nd innings at stumps

39/0

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