The Ranji Trophy Elite match between Nagaland and Andhra, played at the Nagaland Cricket Association Stadium in Sovima from January 29 to February 1, ended in a draw with Andhra taking the crucial first-innings lead.
Nagaland won the toss and elected to bat first, posting a total of 366 runs in 108.3 overs. The innings was anchored by Chetan Bist, who scored a commanding 189 runs off 273 balls. Nischal D contributed 74 runs in a patient 188-ball knock. Andhra’s bowlers shared the wickets, with K Saiteja taking 3 for 41 in 22 overs, Tripurana Vijay claiming 3 for 59 in 15.3 overs, and Pvsn Raju adding 2 for 71 in 18 overs.
In response, Andhra posted a massive 536 for 9 declared in 130 overs. The highlight was a brilliant unbeaten 227 from CR Gnaneshwar off 268 balls. Tripurana Vijay made valuable contributions with 58 runs, while KV Sasikanth added 60. Vino G Zhimomi was Nagaland’s best bowler, taking 5 wickets for 86 runs in 27 overs.
Nagaland’s second innings saw another solid effort with 342 runs in 104 overs. Bist again led from the front with a century, scoring 100 runs off 181 balls. Nagaho supported well with 79 runs. Andhra’s Tripurana Vijay shone with the ball, taking 5 for 104 in 38 overs, while Saurabh Kumar chipped in with 4 for 116.
Chasing a target of 172, Andhra reached 64 for 4 in 8.3 overs in their second innings. Ricky Bhui top-scored with 20 runs. Vino G Zhimomi and Saurav took two wickets each for Nagaland. With time running out, the match ended in a draw, with Andhra securing the first-innings advantage.
Understanding the Ranji Trophy points system
The Ranji Trophy points system rewards teams based on their performance in matches. A team earns six points for a win. If the victory is by an innings or by 10 wickets, the winning team receives a bonus point, raising their total to seven points. In the event of a draw, the team that takes the first-innings lead earns three points, while the other team gets one point. If the match ends with no result or the first innings is tied, both teams receive one point each. When the entire match is tied after both innings, each team is awarded three points.
To break ties in the points table, a metric called the “Quotient” is used. It is similar to the Net Run Rate in limited-overs cricket and is calculated as a team’s runs per wicket scored divided by runs per wicket conceded. Unlike Net Run Rate, Quotient cannot be negative. It rewards teams that score high totals while losing fewer wickets and penalizes those conceding many runs and struggling to take wickets.
The Ranji Trophy is a demanding test of consistency and endurance over four days. Thirty-two Elite teams compete for eight quarterfinal spots, while six Plate teams battle for promotion. The bottom two teams in the Elite Group overall standings will be relegated to the Plate Group next season, replacing the two Plate finalists. The scoring system encourages aggressive play, rewarding first-innings leads and innings victories.
Nagaland struggles in tough Group A, relegation likely
Nagaland was placed in Group-A, the “Group of Death,” featuring heavyweights like defending champions Vidarbha, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh, alongside Baroda, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha. With just 2 points from seven matches, Nagaland is at the bottom of the Group-A table and is likely to be relegated to the Plate Group next season.
Meanwhile, defending champions Vidarbha beat Uttar Pradesh by four wickets but missed the knockout stage as Andhra and Jharkhand advanced to the Ranji Trophy Elite quarterfinals from Group A on Sunday. Despite the win, Vidarbha finished third on net run rate with 31 points from seven matches in the league phase.