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Rain washed out the game between Knight Riders and Royals, but the Eden Gardens crowd was lapping up to the music and commerce swirling inside and outside the gates

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kolkata26-Apr-2015It is closing in on 7pm at the Eden Gardens when the stadium DJ decides to break the monotony of contemporary Bollywood music and go back to the early 80s.” [Have you ever loved someone?]” a youthful Rishi Kapoor implores, in the voice of an ageing Kishore Kumar.” [I have!]” comes the reply, with sections of the Eden Gardens crowd joining the chorus of shrill voices recorded before a lot of them were born.” [Have you ever given someone your heart?]” ” [I have!]”There is little reason for the crowd to show so much enthusiasm. For one, they should be watching the climactic stages of a Twenty20 run chase. They are instead watching the groundstaff and three Super Soppers grimly attempt to turn a sodden outfield into a surface fit for a game of cricket.Even that sodden outfield is a freshly vacuumed carpet compared to the turf some of them have trudged through to reach their seats.Barricaded into a narrow pathway around the edge of Kolkata’s sprawling , soaked to the skin, five or six to a row, shoulder to shoulder, they had squelched their way from ticket counter to stadium gates through sometimes ankle-deep slush.All this so they wouldn’t hinder the flow of traffic on the roads around the stadium.Whenever a row in front had hesitated before sinking their feet into a particularly boggy patch, the rows behind had undergone an accordion-like contraction that had mashed faces into backs. This had also happened when someone had paused to buy a t-shirt or get their face painted. For the vendors outside the stadium, this was just another match day.The swirl of commerce, in all its forms, goes on as always, outside and inside the gates. The music blares incessantly, without a single sombre or reflective note. But you are never far from a reminder that this isn’t, perhaps, just another match day.Ankit Keshri’s face looks out from posters all around the stadium and at its gates. At the Club House gate, his posters stand in front of giant photo-murals of Indian cricket’s legends. Here is Kapil Dev, lifting the World Cup. Here is Sourav Ganguly, Kolkata’s greatest cricketer. Here are VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, walking off the field after one of the greatest days in Indian cricket. Maybe a six-year-old Keshri had been at the stadium, watching them bat.This is the first match at the Eden Gardens since Keshri’s death. Kolkata Knight Riders have included him as the 16th member of their squad. Conversations around the stadium occasionally turn to Keshri, or to the earthquakes that have shaken the city – and ravaged Nepal – over the last two days.Before the sun went down, it had been possible to see smoke rising over the rooftops beyond the eastern side of the ground. In the morning, a fire had broken out at a shopping complex in the New Market area. Now the skies have darkened and the buildings in the distance have faded out of view. All you can see clearly is the giant football on the roof of the New Secretariat Building, lit by the stadium’s nearest floodlight tower, looking like a gibbous moon.Mobile phones cause pinpricks of light to flash in the far stands. They remind you vaguely of the paper torches the crowds here used to hold up back in the 90s. You’ll now need secret pockets to carry matchboxes or lighters into the stands. Back then the stadium could pack 90,000 spectators, some said 100,000. Now it holds 66,000. On a rainy day with little hope of cricket, it is close to full.Each time the PA system brings the crowd an update – a male voice, polite, speaking first in English and then in Bengali – that hope dwindles further. An inspection at 5.35 if there is no rain. There is no rain. An inspection at 6.20 if there is no rain. There is no rain. 6.50. No rain. Through all this the covers come off, and a blue ground slowly turns green, with wet patches on its edges.There is no more rain, but the wet patches simply won’t dry. At 7.05 the announcer reveals there is little hope of play, considering the cut-off time is 7.30. He announces that spectators will get a full refund should there be no play. At 7.15 he confirms that there will be no play.The exodus begins. Feet that had gone crusty with dried mud step in puddles once more. They step past posters of Ankit Keshri. They stop at stalls selling . They go back home. They will return to the ticket counter in two days, get their refunds, and complete a strange cycle that posterity will simply record as ‘match abandoned without a ball bowled’.

One of Sunderland’s Championship promotion rivals are believed to be interested in signing one of their key players in the January transfer window, according to a new report.

Sunderland stuttering after flying start

After a blistering start to the season by Regis Le Bris’ side, there is no question that their campaign has started to lose a little bit of momentum in recent weeks.

On Saturday afternoon, Sunderland blew a 2-0 lead at home to a Coventry City side who sacked manager Mark Robins last week, eventually drawing 2-2. It was their third draw in a row in the league, and having led the way at the top of the Championship table by five points, they are now only ahead of Sheffield United on goal difference, following their 1-0 win at home to Sheffield Wednesday.

There is certainly no reason to panic for the Black Cats, who still looked primed for a promotion push this season, but an improvement in form is needed after the international break, with the absence of the suspended Jobe Bellingham acting as a blow.

It is imperative that Sunderland keep hold of their most influential figures between now and the end of the season, however, and possibly even make new signings in January, but a concerning update has now emerged regarding one current Stadium of Light hero.

"Fantastic" Sunderland ace wanted by rivals

According to a fresh claim from The Sunday Mirror [via Football League World], Leeds United are eyeing a move for Sunderland ace Dennis Cirkin in January, in what would be a shock exit from the Stadium of Light. The Whites are keeping tabs on the Black Cats hero, who has been an ever-present for his side in the Championship this season, starting all 15 of their matches in the competition.

The idea of Sunderland allowing Cirkin to join Leeds midway through the season is nonsensical, considering they would be both weakening themselves and strengthening one of their biggest Championship rivals this season.

The 22-year-old has excelled for the Black Cats in 2024/25 to date, scoring twice and assisting once from left-back, as well as averaging 3.4 tackles and 2.7 clearances per game.

Praise from his former manager, Lee Johnson, speaks volumes about what Sunderland would lose out on: “Fantastic player, he’ll have a top career. No question of a doubt but we need to accelerate that leadership and obviously we’re looking to do that. Communicating in his best way and if that’s having a lot of individual chats with players around him, to canvas, to make sure that connection is there, then so be it.”

The £10,000-a-week Cirkin is a player Sunderland simply must keep hold of, at least for the remainder of the season, or risk seeing their promotion hopes damaged.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

At 22, there is still so much more to come from him too, so he should be viewed as an important long-term figure at the club by Le Bris.

Red-ball cricket, meet white-ball cricket – this is (the new) England.Set 299 from a minimum of 72 overs to win the second Test and take an unassailable 2-0 series lead, England mowed down the target thanks to an incredible onslaught from Jonny Bairstow after the tea break on the final day at Trent Bridge.A capacity crowd, granted free entry by Nottinghamshire CCC, were treated to a jaw-dropping display as Bairstow blazed his way to 136 off 92 balls, which included 14 fours and seven sixes, his 77-ball hundred falling just one ball shy of England’s 120-year-old record for their fastest Test century.Following Bairstow’s dismissal, Ben Stokes and Ben Foakes saw their side home inside 50 overs, the highest successful Test chase at Trent Bridge. Stokes remained unbeaten at the close with 75 off 70, his 179-run stand with Bairstow for the fifth-wicket stand off 20.1 overs at 8.87 was the third fastest century stand in Tests, in terms of run rate.Related

• No fear: England have dared to dream under their new brains trust

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• Ben Stokes 'blown away' by rousing win at packed Trent Bridge

• Tom Latham rues the moments that got away as depleted New Zealand are put to the sword

• Kyle Jamieson to miss last Test in England with 'stress-reaction' in lower back

Resuming after the interval with 160 runs still needed from 38 overs, Bairstow – unbeaten on 43 – led a brutal assault as Matt Henry’s short-ball tactics came to grief. Bairstow brought up fifty with back-to-back fours off Henry in the first over, which went for 13 runs in all, and he didn’t let up, lofting Trent Boult for six over long-off in the next, which also went for 13 to put England ahead of the required run rate. Two more maximums to Bairstow off Henry’s following over meant England had added 43 runs off three overs.With Kyle Jamieson, the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers during their five-wicket defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, unable to bowl after breaking down with lower back pain on the third evening of this game, the visitors began to look bereft of ideas in a hurry.Stokes appeared to twist his knee lunging forward to a Henry delivery with Bairstow approaching the nineties but he forged on despite appearing to be in clear discomfort. When Bairstow brought up his ninth Test century steering Tim Southee through backward point and shouting “yes, yes, yes” as he called his batting partner through, they ran three.Jonny Bairstow celebrates after scoring a 77-ball hundred•AFP/Getty Images

As Bairstow’s attack on the boundary continued, Stokes did not need to worry about running so much and he launched into a power game of his own, bringing up his fifty off 55 balls with a six down the ground off Southee, at which point England needed 50 runs off 28 overs. Stokes then muscled spinner Michael Bracewell into the back of the second tier of the stand over long-on.By the time Bairstow was caught behind off a bottom edge to Boult, England needed just 27 runs. There one more moment of drama when Foakes was dropped by Bracewell at cover with 14 needed before Stokes struck the winning runs with a blistering cut for four off Boult.While Bairstow is not new to the Test side or even an aggressive playing style, all the talk of a “positive” approach from this team under Stokes as captain and Brendon McCullum as new head coach made this feel like laying down a marker as England moved from one win in 17 Tests to to two in two. In eight innings since his century in the first Test against West Indies in March, Bairstow had failed to pass 30 but he rediscovered his form when his side needed it most.Earlier, Boult had Zak Crawley out for a duck, caught at second slip by Southee to send England to lunch at 36 for 1. By tea, Boult had claimed the vital wicket of an in-form Joe Root, Henry had seen off Ollie Pope cheaply and Southee – who battled for rhythm and wickets through the match – removed Alex Lees for 44 to leave England 93 for 4.Boult had also played a neat cameo alongside Daryl Mitchell, who remained unbeaten on 62 as New Zealand were bowled out for a second-innings 284 with just over half-an-hour left in the morning session, having resumed on 224 for 7.Henry, dropped by Root at slip on the second ball of the day when Leach got one to grip and rise to meet the edge, powered Stokes through cover for four in the second over before Stokes had him ducking and swaying like an air dancer outside a car dealership to avoid some well-directed short balls thereafter. It was Stuart Broad who made the breakthrough, however, when he had Henry caught behind with just his fifth ball.Boult punched Stokes through wide long-on and ran two to finally grasp the title of highest Test run-scorer at No.11 outright after being stranded equal with Muthiah Muralidaran on 623 since making an unbeaten 16 off 18 balls in the first innings.Broad took the second new ball three overs after it had become available and was duly bundled over the rope at long-on by Mitchell. James Anderson returned to the attack in the next over and ended New Zealand’s innings with his fourth ball back when he had Boult caught by Stokes at mid-off for 17.

Luna proved his value with an stunning assist to opening scoring the USMNT, even after injuring nose

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• Luna delivers a beautiful through ball to connect with White
• Got an assist with an apparent broken nose
• Costa Rica match wraps up two-game January camp

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  United States soccer fans have been clamoring to see young midfielder Diego Luna get an extended shot with the national team. He delivered in his second start for the Americans – even after taking a shot of his own.

  The Real Salt Lake star, who appeared to sustain a broken nose after taking an elbow to the face just moments before, threaded an unbelievable through ball past two defenders to connect with striker Brian White for a precise finish to put the USMNT up 1-0 over Costa Rica in the 21st minute Wednesday night.

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• WATCH THE CLIP

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Luna, looking to improve his chances of getting future opportunities with the USMNT, had a gutsy first half performance to showcase for coach Mauricio Pochettino. Some have questioned whether Luna's game, a traditional No. 10, can translate to the international level, but he was as advertised against Costa Rica.

  His ability to see the play develop before it happens and instinctively use his technical skill to beat defenses is what made him the 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year last season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LUNA, USMNT?

  With January camp wrapping up following Wednesday's match against Costa Rica, Luna will return to RSL for their preseason ahead of the 2025 MLS season. The USMNT will reconvene for the Nations League semifinals, starting on March 20 against Panama.

A twist has emerged regarding Leeds United’s pursuit of free agent Cheikhou Kouyate, according to a fresh update from journalist Adam Pope.

Reports say Leeds agree Kouyate deal

We may be in between the summer and January transfer windows currently, but that doesn’t mean a big Whites rumour isn’t doing the rounds.

According to recent claims, Leeds had agreed a deal to sign free agent Kouyate, who was most recently at Nottingham Forest, prior to leaving the Premier League side at the end of last season.

The 34-year-old is said to have completed a medical at the Championship club, coming in and adding a huge amount of experience and quality in the middle of the park just when needed.

While it has looked as though Kouyate is on the verge of ending his stint as a free agent and becoming a Leeds player, bolstering their promotion push in the process, a new update has offered a twist on the matter.

Twist emerges regarding Kouyate to Leeds

Taking to X on Saturday, Pope claimed that Kouyate’s move to Leeds is still in the balance, suggesting that things aren’t quite as far along as they first appeared of a deal being agreed.

This may frustrate Leeds supporters, considering it looked as though a deal for Kouyate had been agreed and Daniel Farke had acquired the services of a proven top-level footballer.

Last year, Steve Cooper heaped praise on the veteran midfielder during their time together at Forest, saying of him: “He’s in contention to start. Cheikhou has great experience in the Premier League and he’s a big voice in the dressing room. He’s a fantastic character, a great guy, very happy, but very committed as well. He’s a real man’s man in terms of leadership.”

With Ilia Gruev and Ethan Ampadu both out with relatively long-term injuries for Leeds currently, it is paramount that they bring in a midfielder who can help fill the void in front of the defence to rival Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell. The injured pair are both key men and failing to replace them could have a hugely detrimental impact on their promotion hopes.

Granted, Kouyate is now arguably past the absolute peak of his powers, considering he is 34 years of age, but there is no reason why he can’t still do a good job in the Championship, having been playing Premier League football earlier this year.

"Big" – Sky Sports man impressed as 49ers agree new Leeds deal with Adidas

He’s impressed…

ByTom Cunningham Oct 11, 2024

He has made 291 appearances in the top flight, which says so much about his quality and consistently, while 92 caps for Senegal is also eye-catching, showing that he has been a vital player for his country over many years. Hopefully, a deal will be struck with Leeds, even if it is only on a short-term basis.

Chelsea managed their second win in a row under Enzo Maresca, beating West Ham 3-0 at the London Stadium, winning for the first time there since 2021.

Maresca’s men kept their second clean sheet in consecutive games too. After struggling to keep the ball out of the net last campaign, this will be a very welcome sight for Chelsea fans, as the likes of Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella continue to build consistency.

Nicolas Jackson scored a first-half brace to put the Blues 2-0 up at half-time, before also setting up Cole Palmer just minutes after the break, giving Chelsea a 3-0 lead and a comfortable rest of the afternoon.

Jackson & Palmer's performance in numbers

Jackson has started the season in red-hot form, scoring four goals in his opening five Premier League games, and also providing two assists for the Blues.

Palmer, on the other hand, has started the new campaign as more of a playmaker for Maresca’s side, but that hasn’t stopped him from grabbing two goals to go along with his four assists.

Both players provided exquisite finishes, with Jackson applying a “trivela” (outside the foot) finish for his second goal, and Palmer smashing one in off the upright, for Chelsea’s third.

Alongside his three goal contributions, Jackson also made two key passes, had two big chances created, and had two shots blocked. Meanwhile, Palmer made one key pass, completed 2/3 long balls, created one big chance, and won 6/8 of his ground duels.

But despite these two Chelsea stars’ excellent performances, there is another man who was as important, if not even more important.

Levi Colwill's game in numbers

Colwill put in another formidable performance in central defence, scoring an excellent 8/10 rating from GOAL. The defender made a whopping eight clearances, won 50% of his aerials duels, completed one key pass, two of three long balls, and managed an 89% pass accuracy.

To rubberstamp the defender’s important, the England international had 74 touches in the game, which is more than Jackson (30), and Palmer (31) combined.

Colwill is evidently pivotal for Maresca’s side, especially when it comes to breaking the lines with his passing, often kickstarting Chelsea’s attacks with incisive passes into the midfield.

Progressive Carries

0.60

Progressive Passes

4.40

Passes Attempted

71.0

Pass Completion %

92.1%

Passes into Final Third

4.40

Tackles

0.60

Blocks

1.40

Interceptions

1.11

Aerials Won

2.20

Often averaging the most touches for Chelsea, and orchestrating play from the back, Colwill makes 4.40 progressive passes per 90. This is a key feature in his game, and something that is very important to the new Blues boss, as he looks to maintain possession, looking for the right opening before firing a pass into the midfield, or even directly into the forward line.

Colwill’s passing ability is arguably his best quality, with a limitless range, and an array of techniques, showcasing his quality on the ball. But the 21-year-old is also imperious at the back, averaging 2.20 aerials won per 90, and 1.11 interceptions.

Colwill has had a superb start to the season and is becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet for Maresca’s Chelsea side, as the Blues’ defensive record continues to improve.

Forget Jackson: 9/10 star just had one of his best games for Chelsea

He was as good as Nicolas Jackson against West Ham…

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 21, 2024

After a quiet summer transfer window, Liverpool have already turned their attention towards 2025 and potentially signing one particular winger who their scouts have reportedly just watched in the Champions League.

Liverpool transfer news

Now that Arne Slot has a better understanding of his new side – an understanding that will only grow with time – it should be far easier to identify transfer targets throughout his tenure.

Liverpool thought they had the new Gerrard, but he left under Klopp for £0

He was once seen as a very promising talent during his time at Anfield.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 19, 2024

As Slot was finding his feet at Anfield in the summer, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes seemed to be focusing on only landing opportunities they felt they couldn’t turn down rather than running the risk of signing a square peg for a round hole. This, of course, saw both Federico Chiesa and Giorgi Mamardashvili arrive with the latter instantly sent back on loan to Valencia as Alisson’s future heir.

Chiesa, meanwhile, made his Liverpool debut in the rather fitting San Siro as he made a swift return to Italy off the bench in the Reds’ 3-1 victory. Now, his Anfield debut is likely to be on the horizon with Liverpool playing host to Bournemouth this weekend. But as he continues to settle in, recent rumours suggest that those in Merseyside have their eye on further competition down the right-hand side.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool took their first steps in their chase to sign Viktor Tsygankov from Girona by sending officials to watch the winger in Girona’s last-gasp defeat against Paris Sant-Germain in the Champions League.

Whether the Reds’ scouts were impressed by what they saw remains to be seen, but Slot is reportedly a fan of Tsygankov who is open to a Premier League switch amid interest from both Liverpool and Aston Villa. Now 26 years old and in his prime, it may well be now or never for the winger to complete such a move.

"Dangerous" Tsygankov is similar to Chiesa

It’s worth remembering that, as things stand, Mohamed Salah is set to leave Liverpool as a free agent at the end of the season to hand the Reds the impossible task of replacing one of the best wingers that the Premier League has ever seen.

Whilst Chiesa’s arrival will help ease that potential blow, Liverpool’s tactic may simply be to reinforce the right-hand side and spread the responsibility of replacing the Egyptian’s goals around their side. Tsygankov, is a “dangerous creator”, as described by analyst Ben Mattinson, who thrives in one-on-one situations in two similar traits to Chiesa.

With eight goals and seven assists to his name as Girona shocked Spanish football to qualify for the Champions League last season, meanwhile, it’s clear that Tsygankov is not a player who would win Premier League Golden Boots, but perhaps one who would unlock the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, whilst failing to disrupt Liverpool’s wage bill at £23k-a-week.

MatériaMais Notícias

da bwin： O atacante Luciano é o jogador do elenco do São Paulo com mais cartões amarelos recebidos na temporada. O camisa 11 já levou seis cartões em 13 jogos disputados, uma média de 0,46 por jogo, quase um a cada duas partidas.

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da doce： GALERIA
Presidente do São Paulo vira meme após montagem com Roberto Carlos

TABELA
​> Veja tabela do Brasileirão 2022 e simule os próximos jogos

Com esses números, ele está na frente do zagueiro Diego Costa e do volante Rodrigo Nestor, que receberam cinco advertências em 16 e 20 partidas, respectivamente. Ou seja, em menos jogos, Luciano tem mais amarelos do que a dupla.

Curiosamente, fecham o top-5 de mais amarelados outros dois atacantes: Eder, com quatro amarelos e Marquinhos, com três. O jovem revelado na base está empatado com Arboleda, Rafinha e Pablo Maia nesse quesito.

Cinco jogadores do São Paulo receberam dois cartões nessa temporada: Welington, Miranda, Reinaldo, Alisson e Calleri. Fecham a lista de amarelados os jogadores André Anderson, Luan, Talles Costa, Patrick, Igor Vinícius, Volpi, Rigoni, Gabriel Sara, Igor Gomes, Léo e Jandrei.

Malick Thiaw is a defender who has been constantly linked with a move to Newcastle United during the summer transfer window.

The AC Milan centre-back could be on the move after the recent arrival of Serbian, Strahinja Pavlović, who arrived at the San Siro from RB Salzburg over the last couple of days.

The Magpies have limited options at the back, with Eddie Howe looking to recruit more depth to cover for the likes of Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles who are both expected to be out until 2025 after suffering ACL injuries last season.

Lloyd Kelly has already arrived at St James’ Park this summer, but it’s looked for large spells as though Milan’s Thiaw would be the man to join the Englishman on Tyneside.

However, a new update has emerged that could see the Magpies shift away from the idea of securing a deal for Thiaw and prioritise a move for a Premier League star.

Newcastle could sign Premier League star this summer

On Friday afternoon, journalist David Ornstein confirmed that Newcastle had opened negotiations with Crystal Palace over a potential deal to sign centre-back Marc Guehi.

The 24-year-old, who has two years left on his current contract, starred for England at Euro 2024, featuring in all but one fixture – even registering the assist for Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time bicycle kick against Slovakia.

His rise to the England national team is hardly a surprise given his form at club level in 2023/24, starting 25 matches and becoming a key player in Oliver Glasner’s revolution at Selhurst Park.

As to be expected following his excellent form, he’s caught the eye of numerous Premier League clubs, including the Magpies, with Guehi undoubtedly improving the defensive unit whilst also potentially forming an excellent partnership with another star linked with a move to Tyneside.

Why Tomori would be a dream alongside Guehi

After previously being linked with a £40m move to join Howe’s side, Englishman Fikayo Tomori could form a partnership with Guehi once more should the pair both move to Tyneside.

The pair both came through the Chelsea academy, before moving away from Stamford Bridge in a bid to gain regular game time and further their professional careers.

The “sensational” talent, as described by scout Antonio Mango, enjoyed another successful campaign in Serie A during the 2023/24 campaign, winning an average of two tackles per 90, whilst making 1.6 blocks – helping Howe combat the poor defensive record from last season.

He also excelled in possession, making an average of 2.9 progressive passes per 90, whilst achieving a pass completion rate of 91% – fitting perfectly into the Magpies’ philosophy of being comfortable on the ball all over the pitch.

With the bonus of their Chelsea connection, their respective transfers could allow the pair to form an exciting new partnership at St James' and catapult the Magpies back towards the Champions League places.

They would both be costly additions to the squad, but would both vastly improve the options currently at Howe’s disposal and would showcase the Saudi PIF's ambitions of taking the club to the next level.

Newcastle have struck gold on "sensational" ace who's worth more than Thiaw

The Magpies have conducted some shrewd business in recent times, including the signing of one star.

By
Ethan Lamb

Aug 1, 2024

Stats highlights from the 2nd round of the Ranji Trophy 2013/14

Shiva Jayaraman10-Nov-2013 Sehwag’s poor run, Venugopal Rao’s first hundred in six seasons, Akshar takes maiden five-for

Virender Sehwag scored 1 and 15 in the two opportunities he got in this match; he has now gone 13 first-class innings without hitting a half-century. Venugopal Rao hit his first hundred in six first-class seasons, in Gujarat’s first innings. In five first-class seasons before this one, Venugopal had scored 939 runs from 24 matches at an average of 24.71, including five fifties. This was Venugopal’s first century for Gujarat. Playing for Gujarat in the last season, Venugopal had scored 110 runs from nine innings at an average of 12.22. Sumit Narwal took 6 for 71 in Gujarat’s first innings – this was his sixth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Akshar Patel took 6 for 55 in Delhi’s first innings. This was his first five-wicket haul in his first-class career in only his second match. Mithun Manhas also hit a century, the 23rd hundred of his first-class career.

Samson’s productive run

Sanju Samson followed up his double-century against Assam in the first round with another hundred against Andhra Pradesh in Kannur. This was his fourth hundred in first-class cricket and his second against Andhra in three innings. Samson followed it up with another half-century in Kerala’s second innings. Samson’s score in his last five innings read – 122, 51, 211, 115, 51*. Samson now averages 54.14 in first-class cricket in 16 innings.

Jaffer hits yet another hundred, Rajwinder takes maiden five-for

Wasim Jaffer hit his 33rd hundred in the Ranji Trophy and the 49th of first-class career, in the first innings against Punjab. Jaffer leads the list of batsmen with most centuries in the Ranji. Ajay Sharma (31) and Amol Muzumdar (28) are next in the list. Vishal Dabholkar, thrust into the role of lead spinner for Mumbai, took his first five-for and his first ten-for to wreck Punjab .

Aparajith completes 1000 runs, Badrinath hits third Ranji double-century

B Aparajith completed 1000 runs in first-class cricket in Tamil Nadu’s second round Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh. Needing just eight runs to reach the landmark before the match, he hit his fourth century in seven innings and the fifth of his career. He now averages 61.66 in first-class from 24 innings. S Badrinath hit his third double-hundred in the Ranji Trophy and the 30th century of his first-class career. He fell two runs short of his highest first-class score of 250, which he scored against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy in 2009.

Dinda takes 200 first-class scalps, Aniket’s maiden first-class five-for

Sourabh Chouhan’s wicket in Bengal’s match against Rajasthan was Ashok Dinda’s 200th wicket in first-class cricket. Dinda has taken 203 wickets at an average of 30.64 and a strike rate of 59.3 in 58 first-class matches. Rajasthan’s Aniket Choudhary took 5 for 93 in Bengal’s first innings at Jaipur – his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. These were also his best bowling figures in a match.

Gokul completes 1000 first-class runs, Sibsankar hits his maiden hundred

Gokul Sharma’s 161 batting at No. 7 in the first innings against Hyderabad was Assam’s highest individual score at No. 7 in first-class cricket and his third century in first-class cricket. Assam’s Sibsankar Roy also hit a hundred in the first innings; his maiden first-class hundred from 19 matches.

Raina and Tanmay hit hundreds

Suresh Raina bettered his chances of travelling to South Africa as India’s reserve middle-order batsmen with a century in UP’s first innings. This was his 13th first-class hundred. Tanmay Srivatsava also hit a century in UP’s second innings, which was his eighth in first-class cricket.

Keenan Vaz’s first half-century, Jakati’s five-for after a while

Goa wicketkeeper Keenan Vaz hit 99 in Goa’s first innings, which was his first fifty in first-class cricket in five games. He added another fifty to the tally in this match with a half-century in the second innings also. Vaz had scored 67 runs from six innings before this match. Shadab Jakati took a five-wicket haul for Goa in Jammu and Kashmir’s first innings. This was his eighth first-class five-for and his first since November 2010 in 18 innings.

Mayank hits 90 on debut, Nadeem’s highest first-class score

Mayank Agarwal hit 90 on his debut in first-class cricket, for Karnataka. Jharkhand captain Shahbaz Nadeem’s 85 in their first innings was the fourth half-century and the highest score of his first-class career.

Jaydev and Anureet both take their fifth five-for

Jaydev Unadkat and Anureet Singh both took their fifth five-wicket hauls in this match. Unadkat has now taken 91 first-class wickets from 32 matches at an average of 33.37. Anureet has taken 78 wickets from 23 first-class matches at an average of 29.65.

Jayant Yadav takes his first five-for, Wagh’s best bowling figures in a match

Jayant Yadav’s bowling figures of 5 for 77 in Vidarbha’s first innings were his best in first-class career and his first five-wicket haul. Jayant’s figures of 6 for 84 for the match were also his best in first-class cricket. Shrikant Wagh took 7 for 109 in the match, which was his best figures in a match in first-class cricket. This included a five-wicket haul – his third in first-class cricket.