Patna: The Ranji Trophy clash between Bihar and Uttar Pradesh commenced on Thursday at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna. Uttar Pradesh won the toss and opted to bowl, putting Bihar into bat first. By stumps on Day 1, Bihar had scored 248 runs in their first innings, while Uttar Pradesh responded with 4 runs in one over without losing a wicket.
Bihar’s innings revolved around a stellar performance by Ayush Lohruka, who struck his maiden century in the Ranji Trophy. Playing on his home ground, Ayush scored 101 runs off 227 balls, laced with 13 boundaries and a six. This knock marked his third significant contribution of the season, following two half-centuries against Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.
Other notable contributions came from Sarman Nogrodh, who scored 44 runs, and Sachin Kumar, who added 38. Nawaz remained unbeaten on 14. However, the rest of the batting line-up faltered, with no other player reaching double figures. Bihar’s innings lasted 86 overs.
Uttar Pradesh’s bowlers delivered a disciplined performance, with Shivam Mavi leading the attack by taking 4 wickets. Vijay Kumar and Shivam Sharma claimed two wickets each, while Karan and Saurabh picked up one wicket apiece.
In reply, Uttar Pradesh batted for one over before the close of play, scoring 4 runs without losing a wicket. Opener Abhishek Goswami scored all 4 runs, while Madhav Kaushik remained unbeaten without scoring. Veer Pratap Singh bowled the solitary over for Bihar.
As the match progresses to Day 2, Bihar will aim to capitalise on their first-innings total by putting pressure on Uttar Pradesh with disciplined bowling and sharp fielding.