Ranji Trophy Match Update: Bengal Battles to Overcome Andhra's Resistance, Pujara's Stellar Double Century Dominates Saurashtra's Advantage

Bengal found it difficult to get rid of centurion Ricky Bhui (batting at 107), who is a major obstacle in their attempt to win the first Ranji Trophy match against Andhra in Visakhapatnam.

On the penultimate day of this match, Bhui scored his fifteenth first-class century, which enabled Andhra to reach 339/6 at stumps. Bengal had concluded at 409 in their opening innings, leaving a 70-run gap.

On Monday, the last day of the match, Bengal will need to win the morning session if they are to take early wickets and get closer to the first-innings lead that will guarantee them those three points. Bengal are still 70 runs ahead.

Not because our bowlers didn't bowl well. They performed fairly well, in my opinion, considering that the wicket is a batsman's dream. That surface doesn't really offer much assistance, Bengals head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla subsequently remarked.

The two fastest bowlers for Bengal, Akash Deep (2/81) and Mohammed Kaif (2/37) have already scored two wickets each, but the spinners, Pradipta Pramanik and Karan Lal, haven't shown much promise yet.

"It has been difficult to get wickets on that surface, so we hope to avoid it in the future," Shukla continued. Having said that, the bowlers are aware of what has to be done to ensure that we take the lead in the first innings.

At this point, there's not much we need to tell them. They understand exactly what is going on and what needs to be done.

The standout bowler of the bunch was undoubtedly Mohammed Shami's younger brother, Kaif, who made his debut. On Sunday, he only managed to take one wicket—that of Nitish Kumar Reddy, who had put up a 71-run partnership with Bhui for the sixth wicket—but Kaif made sure to maintain his composure the entire way.

After bowling 25 overs, the pacer's economy rate was 1.48 on a flat pitch with little action for bowlers. On Day 3, Kaif ensured that Bhui and the other opposition batsmen had to be wary of him even if he was only able to take one wicket.

In actuality, Kaif made every effort to defeat Bhui, but he was unable to get beyond the latter's defenses. Granted, the pitch helped Bhui and the other Andhra hitters, but that doesn't lessen the focus and resolve Bhui displayed in his first four innings of 243 runs. With Hanuma Vihari, the captain, also contributing with 51, the home team scored just 220 more on the day after resuming on 119/3.Bengal 409, Andhra 339/6 (R. Bhui 107 batting, H. Vihari 51; M. Kaif 2/37) are the brief scores. Day III at stumps.

Not defeated 243

Cheteshwar Pujara scored his 17th double century in first-class cricket in Rajkot, and on Day 3, Prerak Mankad (104 not out) gave Saurashtra the upper hand against Jharkhand.

Saurashtra declared their first innings at 578/4, earning a mammoth advantage of 436 runs, while Pujrara, having resumed on 157, ended with 243 not out off 356 balls.

Jharkhand's openers, Nazim Siddique (45) and Kumar Deobrat (74), played with much greater purpose in the second innings, but medium bowler Mankad's twin blows left them at 140/2 at stumps on Sunday.

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