1433 runs over 4 days! Maha-UP match ends in dull draw

Pune: Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh shared a point each after their Group B Ranji Trophy match ended in a dull draw that saw 1433 runs being scored over four days on a dead track at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium here on Monday.

In reply to Maharashtra`s mammoth 764 for six declared, Uttar Pradesh made 669 for seven, still trailing by 105 runs when stumps were drawn on the fourth and final day. Since the team batting in second innings wasn`t completed within the stipulated four days, both the sides got a point each according to the new BCCI points system for Ranji Trophy. Interestingly when Ravindra Jadeja of Saurashtra hit a triple ton against Odisha last season, both teams didn`t get any point from the tie as Odisha`s innings wasn`t completed. This rule will be slightly altered during the knockout stage of the competition with the match extending by a day in case the team batting second`s innings is not finished. Tanmay Srivastava (179) and Mukul Dagar (126) had scored tons yesterday, while Piyush Chawla (156) slammed one on the final day to help the visitors close in on hosts` total. Srivastava, unbeaten on 134 overnight, started off well but fell short of a double hundred when he was dismissed by Anupam Sanklecha. Arish Alam scored 70, but the last few overs mainly belonged to legspinner Chawla, who decided to highlight some of his batting talents. Chawla slammed 18 fours and a staggering eight sixes during his 140-ball knock, and shared 128 runs for the sixth wicket with Alam. Earlier, resuming on 287 for one, Uttar Pradesh suffered early blows, losing skipper Suresh Raina for a nought and Mohammad Kaif for 25. But Chawla played quite a few effective shots en route to his blazing knock. Brief scores: Maharashtra: 764 for six declared in 186 overs (Kedar Jadhav 327, Rohit Motwani 147 not out; Piyush Chawla 3/233) Uttar Pradesh: 669 for six in 169 overs (Tanmay Srivastava 179, Piyush Chawla 156, Mukul Dagar 126). PTI