Ranji Trophy 2016-17, Round 4: Top performers

In the fourth round of the Ranji Trophy 2016-17, Andhra, Gujarat, Bengal and Karnataka went on to seal outright wins to strengthen their position further in the points table. From double hundreds to ten-wicket hauls and all-round shows there were many players who created a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Here are a few noteworthy ones from the fourth round.

Pankaj Singh (4/62 & 2/34 vs Maharashtra)

Pankaj Singh arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad on the back of 18 wickets from the first three Ranji encounters and the Group B clash against Maharashtra here didn't follow a very different script. While Maharashtra scored big in their first innings, Singh accounted for four important wickets to dent the progress at a very miserly rate. While Rajasthan's batters didn't fare well in their first innings and conceded a 131-run lead, he was on top of his mark early in his second stint, removing opening batsman Swapnil Gugale and middle order mainstay, Ankit Bawne very early in the innings to help his side gain some quick footing. Although the match ended in a draw with Maharashtra taking home three points on the virtue of a first innings lead, Pankaj Singh continued to shine for Rajasthan. To say that Rajasthan's success will hinge on Pankaj Singh's performances, would not be an aberration.

Stuart Binny (2/81 & 156 vs Assam)

The group toppers, Karnataka were expected to steamroll Assam in their Group B encounter at BKC Ground, Mumbai and the script didn't throw up any surprises either. Assam did put up a slight fight with Amit Verma producing an unbeaten 166 but the team could only reach a modest total of 325. Robin Uthappa and Karun Nair took the centerstage with brilliant hundreds, followed by Binny's breezy 156 off just 158 balls, murdering any of Assam's hopes to come back, if at all. While Karnataka eventually had an easy game by bowling out Assam for just 264 runs, thanks to Krishnappa Gowtham's seven-for, Binny would be the most relieved man for having finally produced an all-round show. While Karnataka don't have much to worry about the points table standings, Binny's form would be the perfect thing to look forward to.

Biplab Samantaray (62 & 88 vs Delhi)

Odisha were never expected to push Delhi into any uncomfortable corner and it came to the fore with Odisha being reduced to 59/4 before Biplab Samantaray and Subhransu Senapati got together for a 141-run stand for the fifth wicket to save Odisha the blushes on the opening day. And while it didn't stop Delhi from securing a 258-run lead, courtesy hundreds from Gautam Gambhir and Milind Kumar, Odisha found themselves in a similar territory with Samantaray needing to better his first innings score of 62. His patient 88 in the second innings came to Odisha's rescue as they managed to hold on to a draw, which looked highly unlikely at one stage. While Odisha would take just the one point from this game, their bigger takeaway would be Samantaray's form who came into this First Class season after having a torrid time last year, where he didn't manage an aggregate of even 100 runs.

Gurinder Singh (4-46, 2-87 & 103* vs Goa)

The Tripura left-arm spinner's impressive start to his first-class career continued in the fourth round as well as his all-round performances helped his side fetch three points against Goa. After picking up three wickets in the Goa's first innings to help his side gain a slender 14-run lead, Gurinder came in at a tricky situation in the second innings to bail his side out of trouble. Tripura were reeling at 128 for 7 at one stage when Gurinder joined forces with RA Dey to add 161 for the eighth wicket. He eventually remained unbeaten on 103 which set Goa a target of 343 to win. The 24-year-old picked up two wickets in the final innings as well as Goa came agonisingly close to chasing the total down.

Siva Kumar (42, 4-71 & 5-25 vs Haryana)

The right-arm seamer's impressive nine-wicket haul in the game helped Andhra beat Haryana by 77 runs. Having picked up 11 wickets in the season prior to this match, Siva Kumar bowled an impressive spell in the first innings to pick up five wickets. It helped Andhra gain a lead of 150 runs despite posting only 253 in the first innings. The 26-year-old also hit four fours and two sixes to score a crucial 42 in the second innings lower down the order to set Haryana 371 to win. After picking up Nitin Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal, Siva Kumar came back to provide the most crucial breakthrough for his side by dismissing centurion SG Rohilla in the chase. Haryana never recovered from that wicket and went on to lose the game.

Hardik Patel (4-71 & 7-72 vs Uttar Pradesh)

The young seamer put up an outstanding performance with the ball in his comeback game to give Gujarat a huge win over Uttar Pradesh. Hardik picked the key wickets of openers Samarth Singh, Tanmay Srivastava and Sarfraz Khan in the first innings and added another in the end to finish with four wickets. With a 106-run lead, Gujarat made 201 in their second innings to set Uttar Pradesh a target of 308. The 21-year-old was on top of his game yet again during the chase and picked up three of the first six wickets to fall before cleaning up the tail to hand his side a 132-run win. His 11-wicket haul sent Gujarat to the top of the Group A standings.

Deepak Hooda (293* vs Punjab)

Baroda skipper Deepak Hooda continued his scintillating start to the new season with yet another century. Having already hit centuries prior to this one, Hooda grabbed headlines on the first day of the fourth round after having smashed a blistering double ton. The 21-year-old kept scoring at one end and watched wickets fall at regular intervals at the other. In the end, he remained unbeaten on 293 as his side were bowled out for 529. Punjab skipper Yuvraj Singh and opener Manan Vohra also smashed double tons in the reply. Baroda still remain in the eighth spot and would hope for more such performances from Hooda in order to climb up the ladder.

Kaushik Gandhi (157 vs Madhya Pradesh)

With Baba Aparajith dropped, the pressure on Kaushik Gandhi kept mounting ahead of Tamil Nadu's encounter against Madhya Pradesh in Cuttack. The right-hander though delivered at a crucial juncture and helped his side fetch a crucial first innings lead on a track that turned out to be good for batting. Once Tamil Nadu were reduced to 1 for 2 in the first two overs, Gandhi dug in and battled hard to remain unbeaten on 71 at the end of the day's play. He completed his maiden First Class century on the second day and eventually made 157 off 368 deliveries to guide his side to a massive total. Even though Tamil Nadu fought hard to force a win, they fell short by five wickets in the end.

Ashoke Dinda (5-45 & 5-67 vs Railways)

In a low-scoring encounter at Dharamsala, Ashoke Dinda's ten-wicket haul proved to the difference between the two sides as Bengal beat Railways by 43 runs to gain six points. Batting first, Bengal made only 205 on seamer friendly conditions. But in reply, their bowlers delivered at regular intervals to help their side get a lead of 100. The veteran Dinda initially picked up two wickets up front and added three more as the innings proceeded. With Bengal making 214 in their second innings, Railways were set a target of 315 to win the game. Half-centuries from Shivakant Shukla, Arindam Ghosh and Karn Sharma put Railways on course for a victory but Dinda, who failed to make a breakthrough initially in the innings, came back and got rid of the last five wickets in quick succession to help his win and climb up to the second spot in the table.

While the aforementioned names lit up the stage with their brilliance in Round Four, it would be rather unfair to not stop by and laud the efforts of a few others. Parvez Rasool once again proved to be one of the torchbearers of the Kashmir unit by bagging a five-for and following it up with a timely score of 70 to help his side secure a comfortable draw. And though the game between Chhatisgarh and Kerala ended in a tame draw, Rohan Prem managed to pile up a 62 and an unbeaten 123 to help Kerala stay afloat. Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, the two old warhorses vying hard to turn the clock back, weren't too far behind either.

Gambhir's 147 helped Delhi gain a substantial lead over Odisha and keeps him in good stead ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series against England, not to forget his sprightly 50 in the final Test against New Zealand. Yuvraj himself is doing all he can to push his luck as far. His 260 against Baroda helped Punjab negate Deepak Hooda's unbeaten double hundred, not to forget his 177 as well that came at the start of this season. Are we hearing a few "We want Yuvraj back" murmurs already? You never know. More in the forthcoming round!