Gaikwad's century, Pujara's steadying presence shine as Ranji Trophy action heats up

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Cheteshwar Pujara were among the standout performers as teams battled it out in the Elite Groups on the exciting day three of Ranji Trophy cricket. Gaikwad, leading Maharashtra, showcased his batting prowess, scoring a magnificent 145 runs. Pujara contributed to Saurashtra's efforts with a composed half-century, helping his team stay in the hunt against Chhattisgarh.

As Day 3 unfolded, in the Elite Group A Tripura declared their innings at 377/8 after resuming at 346/6, thanks to a solid performance from their batters. Manisankar Murasingh then took centre stage, claiming 6 wickets for 52 runs, bowling Meghalaya out for 222. Tripura enforced the follow-on, and by stumps, Meghalaya had reached 3/0 in just 2 overs, as per Wisden.

In Maharashtra's camp, after starting the day at 80, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad's remarkable innings of 145 helped his team post a formidable total of 388, with Sachin Dhas scoring 98 and Ankit Bawne contributing 101. This set Mumbai a target of 74 runs for victory.

Services experienced a dramatic collapse, slipping from 74/2 to 271 all out, as Baroda's bowlers stepped up their game. Bhargav Bhatt was promoted to open as a pinch-hitter, and Baroda declared at a rapid 134/1 in just 14.4 overs. At stumps, Services were 3/0 in pursuit of a challenging target of 341.

Odisha edged ahead of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) by a narrow two-run first-innings lead. However, by stumps, J&K had built a substantial 193-run lead in their second innings, though a win still seemed out of reach. In Elite Group B, Andhra Pradesh were bowled out for 213 in their first innings against Gujarat but fared better in their follow-on, reaching 203/4 at stumps to lead by 49 runs.

Rajasthan's bowlers delivered a stunning performance, skittling Himachal Pradesh for just 260 after starting the day at 147/2, with Aniket Choudhary taking five wickets and left-arm spinner Manav Suthar claiming four. Rajasthan then easily chased down the 26 runs required for victory, scoring them in just 5.2 overs for the loss of two wickets.

Hyderabad finished their innings at 292, and Uttarakhand began batting again, extending their lead to 222 runs by stumps. Vidarbha secured a first-innings lead by bowling Puducherry out for 209 but found themselves in a precarious position at 25/3 in their second innings.

In Elite Group C, Uttar Pradesh resumed batting after taking the final wicket of Haryana, reaching 267/6 but still trailing by nearly 200 runs. Punjab, starting their second innings, dominated with 265/3 by stumps, establishing a lead of 335 runs, with opener Jaskaranvir Singh Paul unbeaten on a century. A declaration appeared imminent as they aimed to press their advantage.

In stark contrast, rain and a wet outfield hampered the Bengal-Bihar match for the third consecutive day, while no play was possible between Kerala and Karnataka in Alur due to similar conditions, as per Wisden. Meanwhile, in Elite Group D, Delhi struggled against Tamil Nadu, crawling to 264/8 by stumps. The bright spot for Delhi was the return to form of Yash Dhull, who remained unbeaten on 103.

Saurashtra faced the formidable total set by Chhattisgarh, who declared at 578/7, and ended the day at 177/2, with Pujara (75*) and Sheldon Jackson (57*) both scoring half-centuries, as per Wisden. Chandigarh managed to establish a first-innings lead of over 100 runs against Assam, reducing them to 144/7 by day's end. Railways made 320/4 by stumps, notable batters for them were Mohammad Saif (113) and Vivek Singh (75). (ANI)