Ranji Trophy 2021-22 | Manoj Tiwary leads Bengal fightback, Mumbai picks late wickets on Day 2

The race to earn a spot in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 finals continued on Day 2 of the semi-final round across Alur and Bengaluru. Madhya Pradesh, led by Aditya Shrivastava, is up against Bengal in the first semi-final. While Ranji giants Mumbai is facing Uttar Pradesh in the second.

Here is a look at the highlights from both matches after the end of Day 2:

1st semi-final: Madhya Pradesh vs Bengal

Resuming Day 2 at 271-6, the Madhya Pradesh batters extended their first innings score to 341. Opening batter Himanshu Mantri compiled 165 while Akshat Raghuwanshi contributed with 63 in the middle order.

Bengal's prolific pacer Mukesh Kumar toiled away with more than 27 sweaty overs to pick 4-66. He was assisted by spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, who claimed 3-86.

In response, Bengal ended the day at 197-5 off 66 overs, trailing by another 144 runs. Manoj Tiwary (84*) and Ahmed (72*) both remained unbeaten at stumps and will be looking to reduce the gap between the two sides tomorrow.

Brief scores:

Madhya Pradesh 341 (105.3)

Himanshu Mantri 165, Akshat Raghuwanshi 63

Mukesh Kumar 4-66, Shahbaz Ahmed 3-86

Bengal 197-5 (66)

Manoj Tiwary 84*, Shahbaz Ahmed 72*

Puneet Datey 2-34, Kumar Kartikeya 2-43

Bengal trail by 144 runs

2nd semi-final: Mumbai vs Uttar Pradesh

Mumbai hammered 393, courtesy of high-octane tons from Yashasvi Jaiswal and wicketkeeper-batsman Hardik Tamore. Yashasvi slammed 100 runs from 227 deliveries with wickets falling from the other end. Shams Mulani glued a vital 113 runs partnership with the gloveman for the 6th wicket, adding 50 runs to his tally. Tamore ended the day with 115 runs under his name.

For Uttar Pradesh, captain Karan Sharma and Saurabh Kumar shared seven wickets between them. The skipper bagged a four-for whereas the left-arm slow orthodox spinner scalped a three-for.

In response, the Sharma-led side were rocked early with two wickets within the first four overs of the innings. Day 2 concluded with Uttar Pradesh reaching 25-2, trailing Mumbai by 368 runs.

Brief scores:

Mumbai 393 (140.4)

Hardik Tamore 115, Yashasvi Jaiswal 100

Karan Sharma 4-46, Saurabh Kumar 3-107

Uttar Pradesh 25-2 (12)

Madhav Kaushik 11*, Karan Sharma 10*

Tushar Deshpande 1-10, Dhawal Kulkarni 1-14

Uttar Pradesh trail by 368 runs