Lucknow: Jharkhand opener Sharandeep Singh underlined his red-ball ambitions with a patient unbeaten century as his side dominated Uttar Pradesh on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium on Thursday. “My dream is to play for India in white. I am very fond of red ball cricket,” said Sharandeep after the day’s play even as his team reached 279 for 1 at stumps after UP won the toss and chose to field, a decision that backfired as the home attack struggled to make inroads. Sharandeep, who brought up his second first-class hundred, remained unbeaten on 128, compiling his innings off 269 deliveries with 15 fours. His century came off 225 balls, scored in UP’s home conditions, and anchored Jharkhand’s innings through all three sessions. Jharkhand’s strong platform was laid by the opening partnership between Sharandeep and Shikhar Mohan. The pair added 147 runs in 263 balls, blunting the new ball and forcing UP to rotate bowlers without reward. Mohan scored 78 off 123 balls, registering his second first-class fifty, and struck 10 boundaries along with two sixes to provide the early momentum. The only breakthrough for Uttar Pradesh came after lunch when spinner Vipraj Nigam ended the opening stand. Mohan, well set, was trapped lbw at 147 for 1 in 43.3 overs, offering UP a brief opening to claw back into the contest. However, Jharkhand consolidated immediately as Aryaman Sen joined Sharandeep, and the duo ensured there were no further setbacks. By stumps, Sharandeep and Sen had put on an unbroken 132-run partnership off 255 balls, taking Jharkhand to a commanding position. UP’s bowlers, despite early assistance suggested by the toss decision, finished the day with only Nigam’s wicket to show for their efforts.
Sharandeep credited Jharkhand’s preparation and support staff for keeping players match-ready despite limited opportunities in white-ball games. He said he had not played competitive matches for two months but remained in training with the Vijay Hazare squad.He pointed to head coach Ratan Kumar’s role in running practice sessions on off days for those not featuring in the playing XI, covering batting, bowling and fielding.He also said the Jharkhand Cricket Association arranged recent practice on the centre wicket at the JSA Stadium, which helped the team transition into the Ranji Trophy. On the team’s confidence levels, Sharandeep said Jharkhand’s morale remained high after winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, adding that the dressing-room environment was positive, and seniors were supportive.UP head coach Arvind Kapoor said the decision to field was influenced by visible grass and moisture on the pitch but admitted the bowling performance did not meet expectations.He said the fast-bowling unit lacked effectiveness and noted UP played with two pacers and three spinners, with left-arm spinner Prashant Veer suffering a shoulder injury during the day.Double whammy for UP as 2 players suffer injury Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh suffered two injury setbacks on the opening day of the second leg of the Ranji Trophy, with all-rounder Prashant Veer and leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari sidelined.
Veer injured his right shoulder while fielding at mid-on during the 30th over of Jharkhand’s innings. He was taken to hospital for scans and, according to a senior UPCA official, the injury has been assessed as a grade 2 shoulder injury.
Veer has been ruled out of the match and is expected to be out of action for two to three weeks. Zeeshan Ansari, named in the Ranji Trophy squad after a five-year gap, also faces uncertainty after suffering a groin injury. He missed selection in the playing XI due to the issue, which occurred during practice sessions. Ansari had recently produced a strong performance to earn a place in the 21-member squad.
