RAJKOT: Right-arm medium pacer Anubhav Agarwal claimed a five-wicket haul to help Madhya Pradesh trounce Meghalaya by an innings and 301 runs in their Elite Group A Ranji Trophy game here on Saturday.
First Madhya Pradesh shot out Meghalaya for a meagre 61 in their first essay and then piled up a staggering 499/6 declared, courtesy centuries by in form batter Shubham Sharma and debutant Akshat Raghuwanshi in their first innings.
Madhya Pradesh bowlers led by Agarwal (5/38) then wreaked havoc as they bundled out their opponents for a paltry 137 in their second essay to register a convincing win. The Chandrakant Pandit-coached side had trounced Gujarat in their lung-opener in an emphatic fashion.
Meghalaya started on their overnight score of 16/0 on the third day and needed to bat two days to salvage a draw, but none from their line-up, barring skipper Punit Bisht (38; 7x4), showed resistance as MP bowlers kept striking at regular intervals at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium C.
Agarwal was the more lethal one and his wickets included openers Wallam Kynshi (12), Kishan Lyngdoh (6), one-down batter Chirag Khurana (26), Larry Sangma (4) and D Ravi Teja (10). Meghalaya's innings never got going and they were tottering at 62/5 at one stage.
Skipper Bisht, with his 64-ball 38, only delayed the inevitable. But once in form left-arm orthodox spinner Kumar Kartikeya (3/18) dismissed him, it was just a matter of time. Kartikeya and pacer Gaurav Yadav (2/39), who had claimed a fifer in the first essay, then ripped apart the tail to complete MP's sheer domination.
Brief Scores:
Meghalaya 61 all out and 137 all out (Punit Bisht 38, Chirag Khurana 26; Anubhav Agarwal 5/38, Kumar Kartikeya 3/18) lost to Madhya Pradesh 499/6 declared (Shubham Sharma 111, Akshat Raghuwanshi 100, Akash Kumar 2/77, Aryan Bora 2/124) by an innings and 301 runs.
Gujarat 388 and 128/5 (Karan Patel 28 not out, Umang Rohitkumar 25 not out; Basil Thampi 2/29) versus Kerala 439 (Rohan Kunnummal 129,Vishnu Vinod 113; Siddharth Desai 5/132, Arzan Nagwaswalla 3/102). Gujarat led by 77 runs.