Karnataka spin twins Shreyas Gopal and Mohsin Khan shared seven wickets as Bihar were bowled out for 143 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match in Patna on Saturday. (More Cricket News)
Leg-spinner Gopal delivered impressive figures of 4/28 in 14 overs, while off-spinner Khan returned 3/50 from 16.5 overs, with Bihar’s innings wrapping up in 55.5 overs.
Fresh off his maiden call-up for the upcoming South Africa T20I series, pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak (1/29 from 8 overs) made an immediate impact alongside Vauki Koushik (1/21 in 10 overs), each claiming a wicket in their opening overs to give Karnataka a strong start after they elected to bowl.
Bihar opener Sharman Nigrodh provided resistance with a gritty 143-ball 60 (6x4, 2x6) and formed key partnerships before Karnataka spinners took control, leading to Bihar’s steady fall of wickets.
The next best contribution for Bihar came from Bipin Saurabh, who scored a brisk 38-ball 31.
Karnataka ended the day at 16 for no loss, trailing by 127 runs.
In Mullanpur, pacer Shivam Mavi marked his comeback from a stress fracture with a strong performance, picking up 4/29 in 13.3 overs as Uttar Pradesh bowled out hosts Punjab for 210.
Mavi, who has represented India in six T20Is, struck in the first over, removing Jaskaranvir Singh Paul for just 4.
Atal Bihari Rai (1/19) dismissed the other opener, Abhay Chaudhary, for 1.
Punjab’s Anmolpreet Singh and Pukhraj Mann tried to stabilise the innings with a fifty-run partnership, but Saurav Kumar (2/55) and Shivam Sharma (2/50) disrupted the stand, leading to another collapse.
Mavi later returned to clean up the tail, while Uttar Pradesh reached 8 for no loss at stumps, trailing Punjab by 202 runs.
In Indore, hosts Madhya Pradesh made a solid start with the bat, ending the day at 233/4 against Haryana, thanks to a resilient 235-ball 86 not out from opener Himanshu Mantri.
Mantri anchored the innings with patience, remaining unbeaten at stumps.
Shubham Sharma provided fireworks with an entertaining 44 off 59 balls, striking two sixes and three fours before falling just six runs short of a fifty.
At close, Harpreet Singh supported Mantri with a steady 41 not out off 88 balls.
For Haryana, off-spinner Jayant Yadav, who has represented India in six Tests and two ODIs, was the standout bowler with figures of 2/72. Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal went wicketless, conceding 59 runs in his 15 overs.
Meanwhile, in Kolkata, the opening day of the Bengal-Kerala match at Jadavpur University Salt Lake Campus ground was called off due to a wet outfield following heavy rainfall from Cyclone Dana, which had crossed Bengal the day prior.
Brief Scores
In Patna: Bihar 143; 55.5 overs (Sharman Nigrodh 60; Shreyas Gopal 4/28, Mohsin Khan 3/50). Karnataka 16 for no loss; 3 overs.
In Mullanpur: Punjab 210; 82.3 overs (Pukhraj Mann 61, Sanvir Singh 50; Shivam Mavi 4/29) vs Uttar Pradesh 8 for no loss; 2 overs.
In Indore: Madhya Pradesh 233/4; 87 overs (Himanshu Mantri 86 batting, Shubham Sharma 44, Harpreet Singh 41 batting; Jayant Yadav 2/72 vs Haryana.
