By A Correspondent
Patna: Madhya Pradesh captain Shubham Sharma produced a remarkable double century (240 runs) in the Ranji Trophy match against Bihar at Moinul Haq Stadium, setting a new record for the highest individual score at the venue. Combined with Venkatesh Iyer’s century (174 runs), Madhya Pradesh posted a colossal first-innings total of 616 runs. Bihar struggled in response, finishing the day at 131 for four wickets.
Madhya Pradesh began the second day at 381 for four, with Sharma and Iyer putting on an impressive 366-run partnership. Bihar finally broke through when Venkatesh Iyer was trapped LBW by Himanshu Singh for 174 off 176 balls, including 17 fours and 4 sixes. Shortly after, Shubham Sharma was dismissed by Sachin Kumar Singh for 240 off 289 balls, which included 20 fours and 4 sixes. Lower-order contributions helped Madhya Pradesh reach their record-setting score of 616, marking the highest team total at the stadium.
Bihar’s bowlers worked hard, with Himanshu Singh taking five wickets for 196 runs, achieving his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Sachin Kumar Singh claimed four wickets for 211 runs, while Shabbir Khan took one for 85.
In reply, Bihar’s openers, Piyush Kumar Singh and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, began their innings cautiously. Suryavanshi hit a boundary early on but was dismissed for just 5 runs. Piyush Kumar Singh and Babul steadied the innings with a 78-run stand, but Piyush fell short of his half-century, dismissed LBW by Saransh Jain for 37 off 87 balls. Sakibul Gani followed shortly after, caught out for only 3 runs, while Babul missed his fifty, scoring 47 runs off 75 balls with 4 fours and a six.
As the day ended, Bipin Saurabh (28*) and Ayush Lohruka (5*) were at the crease, with Bihar at 131 for four after 42 overs. Bipin Saurabh entertained the crowd with two sixes, one of which sailed out of the stadium.
For Madhya Pradesh, Saransh Jain took two wickets for 46 runs, with Kumar Kartikeya Singh and Aryan Pandey claiming one wicket each.
