Kanpur: Right-arm off-spinner Karan Sharma sparked a dramatic fightback as Uttar Pradesh clawed their way back into the contest to restrict Baroda to 269 for six on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy match at Green Park on Monday.After opting to bat, Baroda made a steady start through openers Dhruv Patel and Shivalik Sharma, who added 38 runs before left-arm spinner Kartik Yadav struck the first blow by dismissing Shivalik for 20. UP missed an early opportunity when debutant Adarsh Singh dropped Dhruv Patel at slip off Yash Dayal when the opener was on seven.Dayal soon made amends by clean-bowling Priyanshu Molia for five. Dhruv then joined Shashwat Rawat to stabilise the innings, with the pair adding 81 runs for the third wicket. Rawat looked set for a big score before Karan Sharma broke the stand by having him caught behind by UP captain Aryan Juyal for 47.Baroda’s innings gained momentum through a commanding 108-run partnership between Dhruv Patel and Mitesh Patel for the fourth wicket. Dhruv anchored the innings superbly, bringing up his century after facing 210 balls and spending nearly five hours at the crease.With Baroda comfortably placed at 249 for three, the visitors appeared headed for a dominant position. However, UP’s spinners turned the match in the final session. Karan Sharma delivered the crucial breakthrough by removing Dhruv Patel for 124, caught behind by Juyal. He struck again soon after, trapping Raj Limbani lbw for a duck.Kartik Yadav further dented Baroda’s progress by dismissing Mitesh Patel for 49, also caught behind by Juyal. The late collapse saw Baroda lose three wickets for just 20 runs, allowing UP to regain control.At stumps, Manan Solanki was unbeaten on 11 and Atit Sheth on nine. UP coach Gyanendra Pandey said the late wickets had brought his team back into the game and expressed confidence that the bowlers would wrap up Baroda’s innings early on day two.Brief scoreBaroda first innings: 269 for 6 (Dhruv N Patel 124, Shivalik Sharma 20, Shashwat Rawat 47, Mitesh Patel 49, Manan Solanki batting 11, Atit Sheth batting 9, Yash Dayal 1 for 30, Kartik Yadav 2 for 73, Karan Sharma 3 for 39)
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