By A Correspondent

Patna: Thanks to unbeaten centuries from captain Shubham Sharma (134*) and Venkatesh Iyer (118*), Madhya Pradesh solidified their position by reaching 381 for 4 in 88 overs at the close of play on the first day of their Ranji Trophy match against Bihar at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium.

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Madhya Pradesh opened with Yash Dubey and Himanshu Mantri. Bihar claimed their first breakthrough when Sachin Kumar Singh dismissed Dubey for 21, leaving Madhya Pradesh at 37. Himanshu and Rajat Patidar then steadied the innings, building a half-century partnership. However, Bihar struck again as Sachin Kumar Singh removed Mantri for 41.

Just as Patidar was nearing his half-century, he was caught by Piyush Kumar Singh off Shabbir Khan’s bowling, departing for 45 with the team’s total at 113. Shortly after, Himanshu Singh claimed Bihar’s fourth success by dismissing Harpreet Singh Bhatia for 20, with the score at 147. From there, Shubham Sharma and Venkatesh Iyer took control, guiding Madhya Pradesh to 381 for 4 by the end of the day, with Sharma on 134 not out and Iyer on 118 not out.

For Bihar, Shabbir Khan took 1 wicket for 62 runs, Sachin Kumar Singh claimed 2 wickets for 137 runs, and Himanshu Singh took 1 wicket for 111 runs.

In team changes, Bihar made four adjustments, with Sakib Hussain, Raghavendra Pratap Singh, Jatin Yadav, and Anuj Raj omitted from the line-up. Shabbir Khan, Sachin Kumar Singh, Ayush Lohruka, and Piyush Kumar Singh were brought into the team.