Bihar’s batsmen defy odds to push Ranji Trophy clash with Madhya Pradesh into fourth day

Patna: Bihar’s batsmen defied expectations with a resilient display on the third day of their Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna. By stumps, Bihar had amassed 331 runs for eight wickets in their first innings, still trailing by 135 runs to avoid a follow-on, with two wickets remaining. Madhya Pradesh had earlier posted a daunting total of 616 in 130.2 overs.

Bihar resumed the day on 131 for four, with Vipin Saurabh and Ayush Lohruka leading a spirited fightback. The duo held their ground against Madhya Pradesh’s bowling attack, with Saurabh smashing a six early on to keep the pressure on the visitors. His innings, however, was cut short at 71 when he was stumped by Himanshu Mantri off Saransh Jain’s bowling, ending a valuable 96-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Lohruka.

Lohruka continued to anchor the innings with support from Sarman Nigrodh, as the pair forged an 86-run stand for the sixth wicket. Lohruka looked set for a century but fell for a composed 76 off 213 balls, including 11 fours, caught by Kumar Karthikeya Singh off Venkatesh Iyer. Nigrodh contributed 42 off 122 balls before being trapped lbw by Aryan Pandey.

In the final over of the day, Bihar lost another wicket when Kumar Karthikeya Singh bowled Sachin Kumar Singh for 34, who had shown patience with a 99-ball innings that included six boundaries. At close, captain Veer Pratap Singh remained unbeaten on 4, with Bihar’s score at 331 for eight.

For Madhya Pradesh, Saransh Jain was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets for 107 runs. Kumar Karthikeya Singh took two for 85, while Aryan Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer picked up two and one wicket respectively.

With a challenging day ahead, Bihar’s hopes rest on their lower order to narrow the gap and avoid the follow-on as the match progresses into the fourth day.