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Ranji
Trophy 2003-04 Semi-Finals |
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Hyderabad Vs Mumbai at
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
Result : Mumbai won by an innings and 152
runs
The defending champions Mumbai, took on lucky semi-finalists Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium. Hyderabad skipper Venkatapathy Raju won the toss and took the initiative of putting runs on the board. His team ended up putting up a doomed performance scoring only 166 runs in the 1st Innings. Indian U-19 skipper Ambati Rayudu provided some stiff
resistance to the formidable Mumbai bowling attack by making a 212-ball 95. With the Hyderabadi top order knocked off by tear away speedster Munaf Patel, it was left to Mumbai skipper Sairaj Bahutule to run through the remaining Hyderabad batting, as he picked up a 4 wicket haul. Mumbai played splendidly through scintillating knocks by opener Vinayak Mane and veteran Vinod Kambli (who made 154 and 100 respectively) and finally got bowled out for 476. Raju ended up with figures of 6 for 162, which was only a consolation. Hyderabad, who were bundled out cheaply in the 1st Innings did not learn from their mistakes and helped Mumbai rip through the batting order, with Rayudu scoring his 2nd 50 of the game. Mumbai won the game in 3 days and sped their way to the finals. Sairaj ended up with innings figures of 6/53 and match figures of 10/95, ably supported by Nilesh Kulkarni, who managed 3 wickets. This victory by an innings and 152 runs ensured and enhanced Mumbai's chances in their quest for the honours for a record
35th time !
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Brief Scores : |
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Hyderabad (1st Inns) 166 all out (Rayudu 95;
Bahutule 4/42)
Mumbai (1st Inns) 476 all out (Mane 154; Raju
6/139)
Hyderabad (2nd Inns) 158 all out (Rayudu 53;
Bahutule 6/53) |
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Tamil Nadu
Vs Railways at M.A.C Stadium, Chennai |
Result : Match Drawn and Tamil Nadu qualify for the Finals
Last year's runners up Tamil Nadu, missing their star players like Hemang Badani and Laxmipathy Balaji, who are on national duty in Pakistan, took on a Murali Kartik-less Railways in the 2nd Semi-finals at Chennai. Tamil Nadu won the toss and chose to bat first, and their batsmen looked in trouble initially with no major contributions from the top order. Then came the partnership between one of the best players in the domestic circuit, Sridharan Sriram and India U-19 wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who added 212 runs for the 7th wicket. Sriram eventually was out for a brilliant 172 and Karthik made 122, helping Tamil Nadu reach a formidable 481. Railways had to overhaul the score to meet Mumbai in the Ranji Finals. But, their top order didn't respond to the situation, the only standout contribution being from JP Yadav who made 116. Railways got bowled out for 342, with Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan picking 3/55. In their second essay, Tamil Nadu added more 306 runs to their crucially acquired first innings lead of 139, with some good batting by India opener-designate Sadagoppan Ramesh, who made 97 and an impressive cameo of 48 by Dinesh Karthik. The much talked about offie Kulamani Parida bagged 4 wickets, as Railways were set a near impossible 445 on the last day to score. Railways responded by scoring 117 for 5, with C Ganapathy bagging 3/20 for the home side but the match ending in a draw. Tamil Nadu, by virtue of their first innings lead of 139, join Mumbai in the finals for the second successive season and hope not to repeat the mistakes they did last year !
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Brief Scores : |
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Tamil Nadu (1st Inns) 481 all out (Sriram 172; Yadav 2/66)
Railways (1st Inns) 342 all out (Yadav 116; Vidyut 3/55)
Tamil Nadu (2nd Inns) 306 all out (Ramesh 97; Parida 4/65)
Railways (2nd Inns) 117/5 (Verma 39*; Ganapathy 3/20)
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