Ranji Trophy: Karnataka-Kerala match ends in draw; wins for Goa, Jharkhand, Rajasthan
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Karnataka gained three points after its Ranji Trophy Group C match against Kerala petered out to a draw on the fourth and final day here on Friday. The visiting team extended its lead to 143 runs adding 75 more runs to its overnight 410 for 6. Karnataka's total of 485 for 9 declared was built on a superb double ton by India Test discard Mayank Agarwal (208, 360 balls, 17 fours, five sixes)
The Kerala batters made 96 for 4 in 51 overs to deny Karnataka any opening as the game ended in a draw. Karnataka picked up three points.
Earlier in the day, Karnataka batters B R Sharath (53, 101 balls, 5 fours) and Shubhang Hegde (50 not out, 138 balls, 2 fours) helped themselves to half-centuries as the team sought to extend the lead. Hegde, who batted cautiously, added 53 runs for the ninth wicket with V Vyshak (17) before the latter was bowled by Sijomon Joseph (1/90).
Off-spinner Vaishakh Chandran was the best bowler for the home team, finishing with 3 for 117 while M D Nidheesh and Jalaj Saxena picked up two wickets each.
Meanwhile in Jodhpur, Rajasthan trounced Chhattisgarh by 167 runs and Goa registered an impressive innings win over Services in New Delhi.
Services, who were 139 for 2 overnight, saw opener Ravi Chauhan score a valiant ton but that could not prevent the team from going down by an innings as they were dismissed for 304.
In Puducherry, Jharkhand eased to a 10-wicket win over the host team, knocking off the target of 70 in the 27th over.
Brief scores: Kerala 342 all out in 130.1 overs (Sachin Baby 141, Jalaj Saxena 57, Vathsal Govind 46, V Koushik 6/54) and 96 for 4 in 51 overs (Sachin Baby 37 not out) drew Karnataka 485 for 9 in 163.1 overs (Mayank Agarwal 208, S J Nikin Jose 54, B R Sharath 53, Shubhang Hegde 50 not out, Vaisakh Chandran 3/117). Karnataka: 3 points, Kerala: 1.
In Puducherry: Pondicherry 231 all out in 91.4 overs (K B Arun Karthick 68, Paras K Dogra 68, Aravind K 31, Ashish Kumar 3/34, Anukul Roy 3/78) and 250 all out in 84.5 overs (Arun Karthick 82, Sagar P Udeshi 29, Ashish Kumar 3/32, Shahbaz Nadeem 3/79, Anukul Roy 3/90) lost to Jharkhand 412 all out in 133.2 overs (Virat Singh 124, Saurabh Tiwary 116, Sagar P Udeshi 8/118) and 73 for no loss in 26.2 overs (Kumar Deobrat 38 not out) by 10 wickets. Jharkhand: 7 points, Pondicherry: 0.
In New Delhi: Services 175 all out in 59.2 overs and 304 all out in 91 overs (Ravi Chauhan 139 (238 balls, 14x4, 2x6, S G Rohila 52, Darshan Misal 5/70, Vijesh Prabhudesai 4/57) lost to Goa 483 for 9 declared in 155.2 overs (KD Eknath 156 not out, Manthan Khutkar 82) by an innings and 4 runs. Goa: 7 points, Services: 0.
In Jodhpur: Rajasthan 360 all out in 93 overs (Samarpit Joshi 123) and 268 for 3 declared in 48 overs (Mahipal Lomror 130) beat Chhattisgarh 199 all out in 77.3 overs (Aniket Choudhary 4/25, MJ Suthar 4/46) and 262 all out in 83.4 overs (AG Tiwary 51, Shanshank Singh 51, Sumit Ruikar 47, MJ Suthar 6/116) by 167 runs. Rajasthan: 6 points, Chhattisgarh: 0.
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Rahul Gandhi pledges to remove 50% reservation cap, calls for nationwide caste census
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Ahmedabad: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday said that the Congress party is committed to removing the 50% ceiling on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in education and government jobs.
Speaking at a Congress session in Ahmedabad, Gandhi said the party would implement across India what the Telangana government has recently done. Telangana had recently passed a bill raising the reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) to 42%, taking the overall reservation above the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court in a landmark 1992 judgment.
“Telangana has taken a revolutionary step and shown the way to the country. I want to assure you that this 50 per cent wall will be broken. What happened in Telangana, we will do in Delhi and for the entire country,” Gandhi said.
He argued that the population composition in Telangana—where around 90% of residents belong to OBCs, extremely backward classes, Dalits, minorities, and Adivasis—is similar to the rest of the country. Given this, he said, the existing limit on reservations does not reflect social realities and should be dismantled.
Gandhi reiterated the Congress party’s demand for a nationwide caste census, stating that without accurate data on caste composition, it is not possible to ensure fair distribution of government benefits, educational opportunities, and jobs.
He also referred to the Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling in the Indra Sawhney (Mandal Commission) case, which capped reservations at 50%. The Congress has consistently argued that the cap restricts justice for marginalised groups and needs to be re-evaluated.
Earlier this week, during a 'Samvidhan Suraksha Sammelan' in Patna, Gandhi had said, “I told Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha, right in front of him: if you don't dismantle this artificial 50 per cent barrier on reservations, we will break it, destroy it, and throw it away.”
In Ahmedabad, Gandhi also accused the BJP of having an “anti-Dalit mindset,” referring to a recent incident in Rajasthan, where a former BJP MLA reportedly used Ganga water to "purify" a temple after a Congress leader from a Dalit background took part in a consecration ceremony.
