Jharkhand enter Ranji quarters after 1000-plus runs lead!

Kolkata: Jharkhand butchered north-eastern minnows Nagaland in one of the most farcical and lopsided pre-quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy with a jaw-dropping overall lead of 1008 runs, the highest ever in the history of the national first-class championship.

The eastern India state, best known for producing India's famous captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, didn't break a single rule but effectively made a mockery of the 'Spirit of Cricket' by basically humiliating the opposition for five days before umpires called time on such a sham.

The match was over as a contest after Jharkhand scored a mammoth 880 in their first innings – the tournament's fourth highest score on an Eden Gardens belter against a Nagaland attack in which five out of seven bowlers were hit for a not-so-pleasing "hundred".

Nagaland, in reply, were all-out for 289 and the 591-run first innings lead had effectively ended the game in Jharkhand's favour.

However, the rules suggested that one needed to play till the end of the fifth day unless Jharkhand wanted to enforce follow-on.

To be fair to Jharkhand, their bowlers had bowled for 103.3 overs and hence they batted again and this time for fun of it sent their tailender Anukul Roy to join what was a "batting fest".

Anukul, who had been a long time Mumbai Indians reserve, helped himself to a 153 in Jharkhand's second innings score of 417 for 6 when umpires Ganesh Charhate and Manish Jain asked players to shake hands.

Jharkhand won the match to qualify for the quarter-finals but cricket lost on the day because of a team making use of loopholes of regulations where matches become dead contests after one team takes the first innings lead.

This match became even more unbearable because a Ranji Trophy knock-out isn't four day but a five-day affair.

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