Patna: Bihar are very close to winning their Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Manipur after a stunning batting display at the Moinul Haq Stadium in Patna. By the end of the fourth day, Bihar had taken a massive lead of 763 runs, putting the match completely in their control. The biggest star of the match so far has been Piyush Kumar Singh, who scored a brilliant unbeaten double century, showing great patience and skill at the crease.
Even if Bihar do not bat again on the final day, Manipur will need to score 764 runs to win, which is almost impossible in first-class cricket. If the match ends in a draw, Bihar will still be declared the winners because they were far ahead in the first innings. This means Bihar are almost certain to win the match, unless something extraordinary happens on the last day.
Bihar had earlier posted a strong total of 522 runs in their first innings. Bipin Saurabh played a fine knock of 143, while Shakibul Ghani added 108 runs. Suraj Kashyap also supported the team with an unbeaten 83. In reply, Manipur could only manage 264 runs, which gave Bihar a big first-innings lead of 258 runs and put Manipur under heavy pressure.
In their second innings, Bihar continued to dominate with the bat. By the end of the fourth day, they had reached 505 runs for the loss of just five wickets. Piyush Kumar Singh remained unbeaten on 216, while Pratap was also still batting on 90. The two batsmen have put together a strong partnership of 162 runs, making it even harder for Manipur to come back into the match.
Manipur tried hard by using seven different bowlers, but none of them could get Piyush out. Khalid scored 81, while Bipin Saurabh once again made a quick 52 runs to keep the scoreboard moving fast. For Manipur, Jotin took three wickets, and Kishan and Janson took one each, but their efforts were not enough to stop Bihar’s powerful batting.
With such a huge lead and two set batsmen still at the crease, Bihar are now just a few steps away from a memorable victory. The match has also given Bihar a new cricketing hero in Piyush Kumar Singh, whose outstanding double century has made him the standout performer of this game.
