Round 3 Results
Gujarat (371 & 58) lost to TNCA Presidents XI (211 & 220/5) by 5 wickets in Salem
Madhya Pradesh (207 & 124) lost to Hyderabad (560/6 dec) by an innings and 229 runs in Tirunelveli
TNCA XI (379 & 286) beat Mumbai (156 & 223) by 286 runs in Coimbatore
Baroda (327 & 175) lost to Chhattisgarh (427 & 76/2) by 8 wickets in Dindigul
Top performers after Round 3
Most Runs: Baba Indrajith - 323 runs (TNCA XI)
Highest Score: M Abhirath Reddy (HYD) - 211 vs Chhattisgarh
Most wickets: Manimaran Siddharth (TNCA Presidents XI) - 20 wickets
Best Figures: Manimaran Siddharth (TNCA Presidents XI) - 8/21
Who are the semi-finalists?
Hyderabad vs TNCA Presidents XI, Tirunelveli
TNCA XI vs Chhattisgarh, Dindigul
One for the ‘gram
Shreyas Narine?
In the match against TNCA XI, Shreyas Iyer rolled his arm over for an over, and his approach to the crease seemed as though he had picked up a trick or two from Sunil Narine – his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate. His only over yielded seven runs which is certainly not up to Narine’s standards. We also saw Ishan Kishan bowl a few overs in the previous round. Ashwin and Jadeja watch out!
How did the big guns fare?
Tilak Varma - 18 & 1/22 vs Madhya Pradesh
Playing his first game in this edition of the Buchi Babu, Tilak Varma faced as many as 66 balls for his 18 against Madhya Pradesh. The 21-year-old, who has played 20 white-ball matches for India, has a terrific first-class record with an average of over 50 in 24 innings.
While he may not have done a great deal here, he will hope that he gets a chance to get a big score in the next game against TNCA Presidents XI, which would be ideal going into the Duleep Trophy, where he will play for the Shubman Gill-led India A.
Shreyas Iyer - 2 & 22 vs TNCA XI
The first of three Mumbai players on this list, Shreyas did not light the tournament on fire. He was dismissed for just 2 in the first innings, but in the second innings, he got off to a good start before a short ball again led to his downfall. Shreyas goes into the Duleep Trophy, where he will lead India D, with not many runs under his belt.
Suryakumar Yadav - 30 vs TNCA XI
Suryakumar Yadav played a free-flowing innings against TNCA XI, scoring 30 off 38 deliveries, but he did not bat in the second innings as he sustained an injury on his right arm while fielding.
Surya, who recently declared his desire to play Test cricket, will hope to recover in time for the Duleep Trophy, which is just five days away. He will play for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C.
Sarfaraz Khan - 6 & 0 vs TNCA XI
It was not a good game for the Mumbai captain, Sarfaraz Khan, who managed just six runs across two innings. One of the most prolific scorers in domestic cricket, the batter got his India cap earlier this year against England and made it count by smashing three fifties in five innings. He is part of India B for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, giving him another opportunity to show off his prowess ahead of a potential call-up for the Bangladesh Tests later in September.
Seizing the chances
Andre Siddharth C - 55* & 115* vs Gujarat
Andre Siddharth produced one of the best performances in this round with a fifty in the first innings, followed by a match-winning century against Gujarat for TNCA Presidents XI. Not too shabby for an 18-year-old, right? He is yet to make his first-class debut but he played in the recent edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) for the Chepauk Super Gillies (CSG), for whom he scored 62 runs in five innings at run-a-ball pace.
Manimaran Siddharth – 6/76 & 8/21 vs Gujarat
TNCA Presidents XI skipper Manimaran Siddharth had a memorable game against Gujarat, finishing with 14 wickets in the match. His eight wickets in the second innings saw Gujarat bowled out for 58 to set up his side’s victory.
TNCA Presidents XI conceded a 160-run first-innings lead but turned it around to win the match by five wickets, thanks to the 26-year-old. He is currently the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 20 wickets at 9.8 runs apiece.
Gagandeep Singh - 6/84 & 1/31; 77* vs Baroda
Left-arm spinner Gagandeep Singh put in a splendid performance to pick up six wickets against Baroda, but the Chhattisgarh all-rounder also chipped in with a valiant unbeaten 77 that handed his team a lead of 100 runs. While he may not have contributed much with the ball in the second innings, the damage was already done, and his side qualified for the next round.
Sai Kishore - 5/36 & 3/52 vs Mumbai
Sai Kishore picked up nine wickets in the previous match, and this time, he continued his fine run, finishing with eight scalps against Mumbai. He has picked up 17 wickets at 12.5 in the tournament so far and if he manages to put in another good showing in the Duleep Trophy, we could very well see the Tamil Nadu spinner get an India call-up for the Bangladesh Tests.
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