Ranji Highlights: Jharkhand edge Odisha in Ranchi thriller; TN register first win

Thrilling finishes

- Jharkhand pulled off a heart-stopping 2-run win over Odisha in Ranchi, going past Subhranshu Senapati's stupendous 157* and a frustrating 64-run last-wicket stand to pick six points and deny Odisha a third win on the bounce. Varun Aaron broke the tenth-wicket stand between Dhiraj Singh (7 off 43) and Senapati after a long wait of 24.3 overs. That after Anukul Roy's four wickets had razed through the middle-order to tease an easy win for the hosts.

- Bad light thwarted Delhi's plans to rack up their first win this season and celebrate Gautam Gambhir's farewell. Needing 88 runs with about 40 minutes left in the day, Delhi lost two wickets and were left wanting for more time. Hiten Dalal and Anuj Rawat opened the innings against Andhra, the latter opening the batting instead of Gambhir and making 23 off 17 balls.

Bowlers to the fore

- T Natarajan's five-wicket haul secured a superb 151-run win for Tamil Nadu over Kerala, who started the day needing 342. Sanju Samson and Sijomon Joseph put on 97 runs for the third wicket in a brief period of resistance but Joseph's wicket led to a collapse. Kerala lost their last eight wickets, including Samson's on 91, for 60 runs, and handed Tamil Nadu their first win of the season that follows three draws and a loss.

- Deepak Dhapola's five-wicket haul bowled Meghalaya for 230 in the second innings, ensuring an easy 8-wicket win, and the fifth outright win in five games this season, for Uttarakhand in the Plate Group. Gurinder Singh, at the crease with his side reeling at 25/4, was the lone standout for Meghalaya with a hundred but no other batsman stood up.

- Abhishek Nayar's five-wicket haul skittled Sikkim out for 241, bowling Puducherry to a victory by an innings and 159 runs. Starting overnight on 105/3, Sikkim lost Karma Bhutia to Pankaj Singh early in the day. Milind Kumar, stranded on 77, found little support from other batsmen in the side. This was Sikkim's third consecutive loss and Puducherry's second consecutive innings win.

The draws

- Gujarat managed to hold onto a draw against Railways in Valsad, despite Harsh Tyagi's four wickets and a run out. Gujarat lost just seven wickets in their second innings on the last day en route to a slender lead, with Kathan D Patel and Priyank Panchal hitting fifties in a century opening stand to keep Railways at bay. The hosts are yet to lose a game this season.

- Goa drew the game against Services, who rode on Gahlaut Rahul Singh's hundred to finish on 332 and set a target of 258 runs. Goa survived 54 overs losing just two wickets, both picked by Akash Sharma.

- Mumbai held Maharashtra to a draw in Pune, and as a result, both teams remain without a win yet in this Ranji Trophy season. Rahul Tripathi's 76 helped Maharashtra to 254, meaning Mumbai were set 334 in about two sessions. Mumbai were 44/4, with Akash Parkar picking two of those, but Aditya Tare's 52 not out kept Maharashtra at bay.

Quick finish

- Punjab's loss to Himachal Pradesh was a foregone conclusion on the third day itself. Himachal Pradesh picked the remaining two wickets within three overs to seal a seven-point win by an innings and 107 runs. It was their first win of the season.

- Tripura, needing 58 runs with 3 wickets in hand on the final day, lost the remaining wickets for 2 runs in 1.3 overs on the final day, handing Haryana a 55-run win, and six points. This was the fourth defeat in five games for the home side this season.