Ranji Trophy: Punjab manage a point against Gujarat, stay in 2nd position

Ahmedabad: Title contenders Punjab maintained their second position in the group table despite managing a single point against Gujarat in a Ranji Trophy cricket match, here on Friday.

A match which turned out to be a first innings contest saw Punjab get all out for 362 in reply to Gujarat's mammoth first innings total of 513.

It was match that all-rounder Rujul Bhatt would like to remember as he got five for 44 with his off-breaks after having scored a fine 150 during Gujarat innings.

With a deficit of 151 runs, Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel decided enforce follow-on trying for an outright victory which was improbable.

Nothing of that sort happened as Punjab finished at 120 for one when two umpires decided to call off the proceedings in consultation with the two captains.

Punjab remain second in the group with 19 points from six games while Gujarat with 15 from five is fourth in the table.

Punjab started the day 219 for four needing another 295 runs to get three points.

Nightwatchman Sarabjit Ladda (1) was dismissed with the addition of two runs. At 221 for five, Taruwar Kohli (71) was joined by Gurkeerat Singh Mann (49) as the duo added 83 runs for the sixth wicket.

Gurkeerat, who looked in fine nick tried to hit left-arm spinner Nilesh Chauhan (3/120) out of the park only to be castled. Once Gurkeerat was gone, there was very little chance that Punjab would surpass such a mammoth score.

The last four wickets fail for 23 runs Punjab were just two runs short of avoiding the follow-on.

There were no hiccups in the second innings as Uday Kaul (67 no) and Taruwar Kohli (47 no) added 114 runs for the unbroken second wicket stand.

Brief Scores: Gujarat 513/8 decl. Punjab 362 all out (Taruwar Kohli 71, Uday Kaul 77, Rujul Bhatt 5/44, Nilesh Chauhan 3/120) & 120/1 (Uday Kaul 67 no, Taruwar Kohli 47 no). Match Drawn. Points: Gujarat 3; Punjab 1.