Kanpur : Rinku Singh ’s unbeaten 118 helped Uttar Pradesh recover from a disastrous start and post 202 runs in their first innings on the opening day of their four-day Ranji Trophy match against Goa at Green Park Stadium on Sunday.
In reply, Goa reached 43 without loss in 12 overs at stumps, trailing by 159 runs. He faced 186 balls and struck 11 boundaries and two sixes, displaying determination to prevent the hosts from being bowled out for a meagre total. The situation deteriorated rapidly as UP slumped to 33 for three. Captain Aryan Juyal was trapped leg-before by Ruthvik Naik for 14, while Karan Sharma was run out without scoring following a misunderstanding with Madhav Kaushik.
UP’s decision to bat first backfired as the hosts lost opener Abhishek Goswami for five, with the team score at nine. Right-arm off-spinner Yash Kaswankar emerged as Goa’s most successful bowler, claiming five wickets to trigger UP’s batting collapse. Rinku, who scored a century against Bihar in UP’s previous match, continued his impressive form with another hundred.
Rinku then steadied the innings in the company of Madhav, adding 57 runs for the fourth wicket to revive hopes of a respectable total. Rinku found another valuable ally in debutant Vansh Chaudhary, with the duo adding 65 runs for the final wicket, the highest partnership of the innings. In reply, Goa openers Suyash Prabhudessai (12) and wicketkeeper-batter Shivendra Bhujbal (31) negotiated the remaining 12 overs without losing a wicket. Brief scores: UP first innings – 202 (Madhav Kaushik 45, Aryan Juyal 14, Rinku Singh 118 no, Ruthvik Naik 2 for 37, Shubham Tari 1 for 33, Yash Kaswankar 5 for 86, Lalit Yadav 1 for 18). Goa first innings – 43 for no loss (Suyash Prabhudessai batting 12, Shivendra Bhujbal batting 31). Brief scores: UP first innings: 202 (Rinku Singh 118 not out, Madhav Kaushik 45; Yash Kaswankar 5/86, Ruthvik Naik 2/37). Goa first innings: 43/0 (Shivendra Bhujbal 31 not out, Suyash Prabhudessai 12 not out).
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kanpur | Silver Rate in Kanpur | Bank Holidays in Kanpur | Public Holidays in Kanpur | Kanpur AQI | Weather in Kanpur | Petrol Price in Kanpur | Diesel Price in Kanpur | CNG Price in Kanpur | LPG Price in Kanpur Stay updated with the latest Kanpur news. However, wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, leaving UP in danger of being dismissed cheaply. Rinku completed his century during this stand before Kaswankar broke the partnership by dismissing Vansh for four, bringing UP’s innings to an end. Kaswankar’s other victims were Aaradhya Yadav, Zeeshan Ansari, Kartik Yadav and Yash Dayal. Download the TOI App.
UP coach Gyanendra Pandey praised Rinku’s confident and determined batting, saying the other batters needed to learn from his performance. He also expressed hope that the spinners would rise to the occasion and deliver to their potential.