Copyright chandigarhcitynews
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, pace battery Jagjit Singh Sandhu demolished the opponents by removing Prithvi Shaw (8) and SA Veer (7) cheaply to leave Maharashtra wobbling at 34 for 2. Later, Abhishek Saini took the charge, dismissing the well-set Arshin Kulkarni (50) and skipper A.R. Bawane (8) to reduce Maharashtra to a shaky 83 for 4 before lunch. Meanwhile, Maharashtra found their anchor Ruturaj Gaikwad who stitched a crucial 152-run partnership for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper S.S. Nawale (66 off 122 balls) and rescued the visitors The introduction of spin brought about a turnaround as Raman Bishnoi (2/14) and Vishu Kashyap (2/44) applied pressure in the middle overs. Bishnoi’s clever variation accounted for Nawale and Jalaj Saxena in quick succession with 239/6 on the board. From the other end, Kashyap’s disciplined spell turned the tide as he dismissed centurion Gaikwad and later accounted for lower-order batter Vicky Ostwal (16) leaving Maharashtra reeling at 282 for 8. Abhishek Saini then struck to remove RS Ghosh (31) while Jagjit Singh Sandhu sealed the innings by clean-bowling PC Dadhe for a duck. Maharashtra’s innings eventually folded for 313 with their last five wickets tumbling for just 78 runs. Earlier, Saini (3/55) and Jagjit Singh Sandhu (3/79) were the pick of the bowlers sharing six wickets between them. Brief Scores: Maharashtra 313 all out in 85.5 overs (Rituraj Gaikwad 116, SS Nawale 66; Abhishek Saini 3/55, Jagjit Singh Sandhu 3/79, Chandigarh yet to bat.
