Delhi's Rishabh Pant on his way to scoring a triple ton against Maharshtra in Ranji Trophy on Sunday. Image Source: jansatta.com[/caption]Internet Desk: Delhi boy Rishabh Pant scored a brilliant triple hundred but it went in vain as Maharashtra took an important first innings lead in the Ranji Trophy Group B match that ended in a draw on Sunday.
Pant scored 308 off only 326 balls with 9 sixes and 42 fours and brought Delhi very close to Maharashtra's huge first innings score of 635 for 2 declared.
However, he fell in trying to hit a 10th six, one ball after he had lofted left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav over the rope, when Delhi were 58 runs behind Maharashtra's first innings total.
The dismissal of Pant, who had kept wickets over the first two days and then came down to bat at No.5 when Delhi were 135 for 3, ended his team's hopes as Maharashtra polished off the remaining three wickets for 13 runs to terminate the northern team's first innings at 590 for a lead of 45.
In the remaining time, Maharashtra made 58 without loss before the game was called off by mutual consent.
Delhi resumed at the overnight 376 for 5 with Pant on 155, the team's main hopes rested on the pint-sized left-handed Pant.And he kept Maharashtra on tenterhooks by hitting an array of fours and sixes while adding 182 runs in just 191 minutes with Varun Sood who went on to remain unconquered on 32 after a stay of 228 minutes.
Delhi was 493 for 6 at lunch with Pant having reached 250 and then he became the third youngest batsman behind Wasim Jaffer of Mumbai and Abhinav Mukund of Tamil Nadu to reach the landmark of 300 with a single in 320 balls and 503 minutes.
The wicketkeeper-batsman had struck 14 fours and a six to race from 200 to 300 at better than run a ball on a perfect track.
Maharashtra, who looked worried till then, were overjoyed when Pant, after heaving Bachhav to long off by leaving his crease, tried to repeat the shot, missed connecting and was stumped. He had hit the spinner for five sixes.
In another match, skipper Yuvraj Singh's sporting declaration paid off as his bowlers fired in time to help Punjab bundle out Madhya Pradesh for 180 and notch up a 126-run win in their Group A Ranji Trophy match on Sunday.
Chasing 307 runs for an outright victory, Madhya Pradesh were bowled out in 64.4 overs at the CH Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium, Rohtak.
Pacer Manprit Gony was the wrecker-in-chief for Punjab, returning figures of 4/41, while Siddarth Kaul (3/42) and Sandeep Sharma (2/25) provided the much-needed support at the other end.
Punjab will pick six points for the outright win.
Shubham Sharma top scored for Madhya Pradesh with 37, while the experienced captain Devendra Bundela contributed 32 as none of the MP batsmen could score a half century in the face of some disciplined bowling from Punjab.
Yesterday, first-innings centurion Yuvraj produced another fine knock (76) before the captain declared their second innings to set Madhya Pradesh a target of 307 on the third and penultimate day.
Madhya Pradesh were 26 for one overnight and needing another 281, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
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