Kolkata: It came down to the last day of the Ranji Trophy group phase to decide the final eight teams that will play the quarterfinals. Vidarbha and Karnataka had already booked their places from combined Group A and B and they will be joined by Saurashtra, Kerala and Gujarat in the last eight. From Group C, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh moved through while Uttarakhand progressed from the Plate Group.
Group A and B:
1. Vidarbha (29)
2. Saurashtra (29)
3. Karnataka (27)
4. Kerala (26)
5. Gujarat (26)
Kerala’s Sanju Samson quick-fire 61 off 53 balls and coupled with 90s by Sachin Baby and opener V Manoharan helped their side book a quarter-finals berth by chasing down 297 to win in the fourth innings. Kerala ended on 299 for 5 in 67 overs and pipped Baroda, who had defeated Karnataka in the final group match. Punjab also made a valiant bid to enter the quarters. Chasing 172 to win in 15 overs, paceman Manpreet Gony was sent up the order to number three after a rare failure by Shubman Gill. Gony kept the fight going with a 28-ball 58 but once Gony and skipper Mandeep Singh (35) departed, the chase fizzled out. Saurashtra also entered the quarters after securing three points for a first innings lead over group toppers Vidarbha.
Group C:
1. Rajasthan (51)
2. Uttar Pradesh (41)
Uttar Pradesh (UP) joined Rajasthan to enter quarter-finals. Rajasthan had already topped the group with a win over Tripura inside two days. UP, who came into this game with 38 points, ensured they got three points from the tie thanks to a massive first-innings lead. They settled for a dour draw with Assam, who finished the final day on 317/4. In Plate Group, Uttarakhand had defeated Mizoram by an innings and 56-run on December 9 to qualify with 44 points.
