Ranji Trophy: Dogra ton leads Pondicherry reply

CHENNAI: An unbeaten century from Paras Dogra (109 not out) led Cricket Association of Pondicherry's (CAP) effort with the bat on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy clash against Nagaland in Sovima on Tuesday. Opener S Karthik, too, chipped in with a handy contribution of 81 as the visitors reached 224 for 3 at stumps. They still have a lot of catching up to do as they trail Nagaland by another 243 runs after a century from skipper R Jonathan (123) helped them post a commanding total of 467.
Resuming the day on 387/5, Jonathan was the major contributor for the hosts, reaching his third century in first-class cricket off 147 deliveries. The contribution from the lower-order was minimal, as Nagaland folded up for 467 after adding 80 runs to their overnight score. For Pondicherry, Pankaj Singh and Raiphi Gomez shared three wickets apiece.
In response, Pondicherry were reduced to 22/2, Thalaivan Sargunam and skipper D Rohit falling for 16 and 3 respectively. But Karthik and Dogra fought back with a partnership of 176 runs for the third wicket to ensure that Pondicherry stayed in the contest going into the third day. Ideally, they would have wanted both to remain unbeaten till the end, but it wasn't to be as Karthik was dismissed by Imliwati late in the day. While Dogra reached a well-deserved century not long after, the visitors will be expecting much more from him on Wednesday.
Brief scores: Nagaland 467 in 106.3 overs (Zhimomi 177, R Jonathan 123). Pondicherry 224/3 in 66 overs (P Dogra 109 batting).