Bhui blocks Bengal, Saurashtra held by Jharkhand: Ranji Trophy Round-Up

Bengaluru's barrier kept them from getting the three points they needed from their Ranji Trophy opener in Visakhapatnam against Andhra. That man was Ricky Bhui. Bengal's bowlers were unable to break through that wall, as they were only able to earn one point from the game, while Andhra concluded with three.

On the last day, after rejoining at 107, Bhui (175) scored an additional 68 runs and forged a crucial 133-run stand for the seventh wicket with Shoaib Mohammed Khan (56), which lifted Andhra's first-inning total beyond Bengal's (409).

Resuming on 339/6 at lunchtime on Monday, Andhra extended their total to 445, capturing a 36-run advantage that confirmed three points for them. After that, the match was solely for academic purposes; Bengal reached 82/1 in 25 overs before both sides decided to settle for a draw.

Bengal blamed the "dead" Visakhapatnam pitch for their loss, but they also acknowledged that they needed to score more runs in the opening innings, particularly after closing Day 1 at 289/4.

We really can't hold our bowlers responsible because they gave it their all the entire time. However, we should have scored more runs in our opening innings," Bengals coach Sourashish Lahiri said.

Bengal's next matchup, against Uttar Pradesh, which starts on Friday, takes place in Kanpur on Tuesday.

Bengal 409 & 82/1. Andhra 445 (R. Bhui 175, SM Khan 56; M. Kaif 3/62) are the brief scores. Drawn match.

The state of Saurashtra hosted

Despite Cheteshwar Pujara's unbroken 243, reigning champion Saurashtra only scored three points against Jharkhand in Rajkot.

After the final day began at 140/2, captain Virat Singh (51) and batsman Kumar Suraj (113 not out) shared an uninterrupted 123 runs at the fourth wicket to help Jharkhand reach 306/3, avert defeat, and earn a point.

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