The elite group stage of the prestigious Ranji Trophy domestic tournament witnessed a dominant performance as Madhya Pradesh secured a crushing victory over Bihar by an innings and 174 runs within just two days of play. The standout performer of the match was veteran off-spinner Saransh Jain, who dismantled the opposition batting lineup by picking up a staggering 13 wickets in the fixture.
Strong response after national team snub
The 33-year-old spinner, who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in August, was left out of the Indian squad for the upcoming New Zealand tour. Rather than being deterred by the omission, the experienced bowler returned to domestic action and let his performance do the talking, delivering a stellar spell that instantly caught the attention of national selectors once again.
Saransh put on a bowling masterclass throughout the match, recording sensational figures. In the first innings, he bowled a tight spell to claim 7 wickets while conceding just 14 runs. He followed up that remarkable effort in the second innings by picking up 6 wickets for 49 runs. Across both innings, he accounted for 13 dismissals while giving away 89 runs in total. This surpassed his previous best first-class bowling figures, which stood at 9 wickets for 71 runs.
Solid batting display by Madhya Pradesh
Resuming their first innings on the second day at 261 for 3, Madhya Pradesh eventually declared their innings at 407 for 8. Debutant 20-year-old batsman Saksham Purohit added 19 runs to his overnight score, compiling a magnificent 143-ball knock of 132 runs before falling to left-arm spinner Aditya Raj. Meanwhile, captain Rajat Patidar continued his prolific run of form by stroking 109 runs from 133 deliveries, an innings featuring 9 boundaries. This marked Patidar's second consecutive century in the current Ranji Trophy season.
Batting collapse seals Bihar defeat
Faced with a daunting task, Bihar struggled right from the start. After being bundled out for a meager 99 runs in their first innings, their batting woes continued in the second essay as the entire team was dismissed for 134. Ayush Loharuka fought a lone battle for Bihar, remaining unbeaten on 76 runs off 66 balls, but he found no support from the other end as nine of his teammates failed to reach double figures.
