Captain Parthiv Patel led from the front with his 27th first-class century and helped Gujarat reach 330 for four on the first day of their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Goa.
The left-handed batsman scored an unbeaten 118 off 156 balls at the Sardar Patel Stadium, hitting 15 boundaries off the Goa bowlers. In the process, Patel also completed 11,000 first-class runs.
Opting to bat, Gujarat openers Samit Gohil (52) and Priyank Panchal (28) gave a sedate start and added 64 for the first wicket before Panchal holed out to cover. One-down Bhargav Merai (84 off 113 balls) joined Gohil, who failed to convert his start.
Patel and Merai then started the rescue act. Both the batsmen scored at a brisk pace as they hammered a listless Goa attack. The duo added 139 runs for the third wicket and did not allow Goa to make a comeback. Merai, a right-handed batsman, struck 12 boundaries. He, however, could not get his eighth first-class hundred.
Leg-break bowler Amit Verma (2/73) gave Goa the much-needed breakthrough after he tossed one up and Merai’s attempted drive resulted in an edge in the slip cordon.
Summarised scores
- In Valsad: Gujarat 330/4 (Parthiv Patel 118 n.o., Bhargav Merai 84; Amit Verma 2-73) vs Goa.
- In Ongole: Saurashtra 226/6 (V. Jadeja 73; Prithvi Raj Yarra 3/51) vs Andhra.
- In Jammu: Karnataka 14/2 vs Jammu.
