By A Correspondent
Patna: Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma delivered an outstanding performance with a double century (240 runs) in the ongoing Ranji Trophy match against Bihar at Moinul Haq Stadium. His innings, alongside a century by Venkatesh Iyer (174 runs), helped Madhya Pradesh post a massive first-innings score of 616. In response, Bihar ended the day at 131 for four in their first innings.
The 616-run total marks the highest team score in first-class cricket at Moinul Haq Stadium, and Shubham Sharma’s 240 is the venue’s highest individual score to date.
Madhya Pradesh resumed their innings on the second day at 381 for four, with a remarkable 366-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Shubham Sharma. Bihar’s first breakthrough came when Venkatesh Iyer was dismissed LBW by Himanshu Singh, scoring 174 from 176 balls, including 17 fours and 4 sixes. Shortly after, Sachin Kumar Singh took the crucial wicket of Shubham Sharma, who scored 240 off 289 balls with 20 fours and 4 sixes. Contributions from other batsmen saw Madhya Pradesh reach a formidable 616.
For Bihar, Himanshu Singh took five wickets for 196 runs, marking his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Sachin Kumar Singh supported with four wickets for 211 runs, while Shabbir Khan took one wicket for 85 runs.
Bihar’s response began with openers Piyush Kumar Singh and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Suryavanshi hit a boundary to start but was dismissed early for 5. Piyush Kumar Singh and Babul then steadied the innings, adding 78 runs together. Piyush, nearing a half-century, was dismissed LBW by Saransh Jain for 37 off 87 balls with 4 fours. Shortly after, Sakibul Gani was caught for 3 runs, and Babul missed his fifty, scoring 47 from 75 balls, which included 4 fours and a six.
By stumps, Bipin Saurabh (28*) and Ayush Lohruka (5*) were at the crease, with Bihar at 131 for four after 42 overs. Notably, Saurabh struck two powerful sixes, one clearing the stadium.
For Madhya Pradesh, Saransh Jain took two wickets for 46 runs, Kumar Kartikeya Singh one wicket for 27, and Aryan Pandey one for 10.
