Ranji Trophy: Chandigarh eye win against hosts Jharkhand

Day 3 Report

Chandigarh will be eyeing an outright win against hosts Jharkhand on the final day of their Ranji Trophy Group H match at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur.

At the close of play on Day 3, Chandigarh were 114 for 2 in their second innings, needing another 222 runs to win. Earlier, Jharkhand resumed their first innings on 379 for 8 and were eventually bowled out for 417, giving them a slender lead of 38.

Chandigarh in command

Chandigarh openers Manan Vohra (50 not out) and Kunal Mahajan (50) gave their team a solid start, putting on a century-stand for the first wicket.

Kunal Malhotra’s team will be confident of chasing down the target on Day 4, especially after they bowled out Jharkhand for a modest total in their first innings.

For Jharkhand, Shahbaz Nadeem was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2 for 37. The left-arm spinner removed both the Chandigarh openers in the space of three overs to bring his team back into the contest.

Jharkhand’s fightback

After being 379 for 8 at the start of the day, Jharkhand lost their last two wickets for just 38 runs.

However, their bowlers made amends by dismissing the Chandigarh openers cheaply, giving them a glimmer of hope in the match.

All to play for on Day 4

With just one day remaining in the match, all three results are still possible.

Chandigarh will be the happier of the two teams, as they need just 222 runs to win with eight wickets in hand.

However, Jharkhand will be buoyed by the fact that they have already taken two Chandigarh wickets. If they can make early inroads on Day 4, they could still pull off an unlikely victory.