Patna: The four-day Ranji Trophy match between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh began on Thursday at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna. Uttar Pradesh won the toss and elected to bowl first, inviting Bihar to bat. By the end of the first day’s play, Bihar had posted 248 runs in their first innings, while Uttar Pradesh managed 4 runs in one over without losing a wicket in their response.
Batting first, Bihar were all out for 248 runs in 86 overs. The highlight of the innings was a brilliant century by Ayush Lohruka, who scored 101 runs off 227 balls, hitting 13 fours and one six. This was Ayush’s maiden century in the Ranji Trophy, coming in his debut season and on his home ground. He has already made an impression this season with two half-centuries, one against Madhya Pradesh and another against Punjab.
Apart from Ayush’s knock, Sarman Nigrodh contributed 44 runs, Sachin Kumar added 38, and Nawaz remained unbeaten on 14. However, the rest of the Bihar batting line-up struggled, with no other player reaching double figures.
Uttar Pradesh’s bowling attack was led by Shivam Mavi, who claimed 4 wickets. Vijay Kumar and Shivam Sharma took two wickets each, while Karan and Saurabh picked up one wicket apiece.
In their brief stint at the crease, Uttar Pradesh scored 4 runs in one over without losing a wicket. Abhishek Goswami scored all 4 runs, while Madhav Kaushik remained not out without opening his account. Bihar’s Veer Pratap Singh bowled the solitary over of the innings before stumps.
The focus now shifts to Bihar’s bowling and fielding on Day 2, with the match poised for an exciting contest. All eyes will be on how the hosts perform as they aim to capitalise on their first-innings efforts.
