was the fact that great teams love the challenge of playing on

A century from Chirag Khurana and three wickets from the in-form Anupam Sanklecha left Maharashtra in a dominant position against Assam at the IIT-Chemplast ground in Chennai. Khurana, who began the day batting on 14, finished unbeaten on 112 as he helped Maharashtras last five wickets add 190 to their overnight total. They were eventually bowled out for 542. Khurana stretched his overnight partnership with wicketkeeper-batsman Vishant More (48) from 25 to 124, and added a further 68 with Sanklecha for the eighth wicket. Abu Nechim Ahmed and Syed Mohammad were Assams most successful bowlers, picking up three wickets apiece.Sanklecha - who picked up two seven-fors in his most recent game, against Vidarbha - then came back and ripped out three wickets to leave Assam 13 for 2 and then 56 for 3, before the opener Rishav Das (53*) added an unbroken 76 for the fourth wicket with Kunal Saikia (38*) to steer them to 132 for 3 at stumps, still trailing by 410.Rishabh Pant continued his run of form, scoring a rapid half-century to help Delhi take the first-innings lead against Rajasthan in Wayanad. Resuming on 37 for 0, Delhi were bowled out for 307, with seamers Pankaj Singh and Tanvir Ul-Haq taking three wickets each. Rajasthan ended the day 19 for 1 in their second innings and trailing by 50.Delhis openers stretched their overnight partnership to 52 before both fell in the space of four balls, Gautam Gambhir for 10 and Shikhar Dhawan for 38. Unmukt Chand (32) and Nitish Rana (24) added 51 for the third wicket, before Pant walked in at No. 5 and proceeded to score 75 of Delhis next 93 runs. He was fifth out with Delhi still trailing by 42, having scored his runs off 59 balls, with nine fours and three sixes. Delhi lost two more quick wickets and were 204 for 7 before Milind Kumar (42) and Sumit Narwal (34 off 25) steered them into the lead with a 54-run eighth-wicket stand. With Vikas Tokas (18) and Nitin Saini (16*) making useful contributions as well, Delhi stretched their lead to 69.Half-centuries from Biplab Samantray and Saurabh Rawat hauled Odisha out of a tight spot and into a sizeable lead against Karnataka at the Palam ground in Delhi. Replying to Karnatakas 179, Odisha were 140 for 6 when wicketkeeper Rawat joined Samantray. They proceeded to add 106 for the seventh wicket in 34.4 overs before Samantray was out to the legspinner Shreyas Gopal for 58.Shreyas then dismissed Suryakant Pradhan (23) and Rawat, for 85 off 124 balls, to end the day with figures of 5 for 73. Odisha were 318 for 9 at stumps, leading by 139, with Basant Mohanty and Alok Mangaraj adding an unbroken 26 for the last wicket.A 171-run opening stand between Sanjay Ramaswamy and Faiz Fazal moved Vidarbha within sight of taking the first-innings lead against Saurashtra at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. At stumps, Vidarbha were 242 for 3, trailing by 59.Saurashtra had to wait till the 59th over of the day to taste any success, and used nine bowlers. Eventually, it was the part-timer Prerak Mankad who had Sanjay lbw for 77 to claim his first wicket in his third first-class match. Another part-timer, Amitoze Singh, then dismissed Fazal for 94, before the offspinner Vandit Jivranjani, sent back Ganesh Satish to have Vidarbha 223 for 3. Shalabh Shrivastava (31*) and Jitesh Sharma (6* off 41) saw out the rest of the day, putting on an unbroken partnership of 19 in 13.4 overs. Zay Jones Womens Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Tremaine Edmunds Womens Jersey . Colin Wilson had two goals and an assist, and Mike Fisher scored a goal and helped set up two others in the Predators 6-4 victory over the Red Wings on Monday night. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/Elite-Ed-Oliver-Bills-Jersey/ . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Matt Milano Youth Jersey . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Jim Kelly Youth Jersey . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle.TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the Toronto Raptors GM target Masai Ujiri, the Dwight Howard sweepstakes, Jeff Hornaceks hiring in Phoenix, the Heats ability to win on the road and the talents of Tony Parker. 1. Masai Ujiri (Nuggets): The reigning NBA Executive of the Year and former Toronto Raptors assistant GM is the target of the Raps for their new GM search. Im sure well know something in the near future. Hes a sharp guy and, in his time with the Raptors, he stood out to me as a guy who had a nice future in this game. His work in Denver has been outstanding. Hed be a good fit in Toronto if he decided to make the jump. Im not a bit concerned about the former relationship (which was excellent) with president Bryan Colangelo. I see Masai as his own man who will be respectful to not only Bryan (I see no issue here either from the other end - Colangelo knows how hard the job is and will be supportive, professional and respectful) but anyone he comes in contact with; thats his nature. Hes a gentleman but dont kid yourself, in every way, shape or form, this will be his show if he decides to make the move. Hell run it as he sees fit and thats what youve got to do, its your name on the product that appears on the court so you make all the calls. Hell be calling the shots. 2. Dwight Howard (Lakers): Lets just get this Dwight-Mare out of the way and say here are the four legit contenders for his services: Lakers, Rockets, Mavericks and Hawks. The latter three have created cap space and/or will move pieces to make it work if he wants to come on board. No clue figuring how this will all shake out. The one consistency of late with Howard has been his inconsistency as a person. Wonderful talent and I think hell be much better next season after getting through the back surgery rehab. Whomever gets him will have to deal with his immature/petulant ways yet will have a guy the next five years that can still be a dominant force. 3. Jeff Hornacek (Suns): Will serve as the head coach in Phoenix after a very good playing career and a stint as an assistant coach in Utah. You look at the system that Jerry Sloan, Frank and Scoott Layden and Kevin OConnor put into place with the Jazz over the past 25 years and you have to marvel at whats been accomplished in such a small market like Salt Lake City during that stretch.dddddddddddd No NBA championships but a steady winning and playoff presence; one of the most consistent franchises in pro sports. Hornacek both played and coached there and Im sure learned/absorbed lots of the teachings of how to do it the right way. With a young team in Phoenix and multiple draft picks on the horizon, hes going to have to be firm and hold young players accountable, yet have the ability to be an outstanding communicator with todays athlete. With patience, this could be a solid fit. 4. Miami Heat: Its funny, watching the game Sunday night, the thing that most jumped out at me was the fact that great teams love the challenge of playing on the road. It appeared to me that the Heat were close-knit and loving the task at hand. Watch their bench; all for one and one for all. LeBron schooling Paul George in the post was priceless; took him to the woodshed. New component of LeBrons game that makes him such a lethal factor, particularly when you play on the road and need paint points. It will be interesting to see how the Pacers defend him in the post in Game 4. Cant stay single coverage on each possession, hell carve them up. 5. Tony Parker (Spurs): Look at his playoff stats: 22 ppg - 7 APG - 4 RPG - 45% FG - 35% -3PT and you have your answer as to why the Spurs are one game away from going back to the NBA Finals. Tim Duncan has been very good in clutch moments, yet hes not the player he once was. Manu Ginobili is a wonderful scorer but doesnt do it with as much consistency as he used to. Have no fear, Parker is here. Steady and spectacular as well. Love his deceptive change of speeds and vast array of shot making maneuvers. Crafty and efficient. He totally gets whats expected of him. Masterful and another example of how important it is in todays NBA to have a point guard who can truly impact the game in so many ways. His skills are top-shelf and his basketball smarts is sensational. ' ' '