Patna: Bihar team is teetering on the verge of an innings defeat against Haryana in the Colonel CK Nayudu Trophy at the Gurugram Cricket Ground (SRNCC), Sultanpur. After a poor performance in the first innings, where Bihar managed just 117 runs, they ended the second day’s play at 40 for two in their follow-on innings, still trailing Haryana by 341 runs.
Haryana resumed their innings on Day 2 at 355 for seven and went on to post a massive 498 runs in 122 overs. Their batting was spearheaded by Parth Vats, who played a magnificent knock of 169, and Samant Jakhar, who contributed 115. Other notable contributions came from Piyush Dahiya (47), Yashvardhan Dalal (38), and Anuj Thakral (32).
Bihar’s bowlers faced a challenging task, with Manish Kumar taking three wickets for 88 runs, Anup Kumar claiming two for 121, and Harsh Nanda chipping in with two for 73. Suraj Kashyap and Mohammad Izhar took one wicket each.
In reply, Bihar had a shaky start in their first innings as opener Animesh was dismissed without scoring. Prashant Kumar (36) and Ankit Raj (29) stitched together a 63-run partnership, but the middle order crumbled, with five players failing to score. Captain Shashank Upadhyay (23) and Anup Kumar (18) provided brief resistance, but Bihar were all out for 117 in 41.3 overs, forced to follow on.
For Haryana, Parth Vats dominated with the ball as well, taking five wickets for just 25 runs. Daksh Kamra supported with three for 29, while Piyush Dahiya and Anuj Thakral claimed one wicket each.
Bihar’s second innings started on a disappointing note, losing Prashant Kumar (9) and Ankit Raj (14) by the end of play. Animesh (10 not out) and Deepak (4 not out) were at the crease as Bihar closed the day at 40 for two. Haryana’s Piyush Dahiya picked up one wicket for 20 runs.
Bihar face an uphill battle on Day 3 to avoid an innings defeat against a dominant Haryana side.
