Priyanshu Moliya made 321 not out at 21, and Ayush Badoni has 427 runs in his last two Ranji innings

Baroda kept losing wickets early against Jammu and Kashmir in Vadodara, and Priyanshu Moliya decided the only answer was to stay in. He was still there when the innings ended on 616, unbeaten on 321 from 492 balls.

“I was trying to play as long as possible. Because at the start, the wickets had fallen,” the 21-year-old said after the second day of the Ranji Trophy’s third round on Tuesday. His innings had 36 fours and one six, and it took him past Gul Mohammad’s 319, the highest first-class score by a Baroda batter for almost 80 years.

Moliya is only the second Baroda player to make a first-class triple hundred. Most of the damage came in a long seventh-wicket stand with Mahesh Pithiya, who made 102 for his first first-class hundred. Jammu and Kashmir, the defending champions, closed on 6 for 0, still 610 behind.

Badoni goes past 200 again in Ranchi

Ayush Badoni came in at 143 for 4 on the first day in Ranchi and finished on 210 not out from 228 balls, with 19 fours and three sixes. In Delhi’s previous game he made 217 against Gujarat. That is 427 runs from two innings, and he is the first batter in the Elite groups to pass 500 for the season. Delhi could hardly ask more of their No. 5.

Sumit Mathur stayed with him for 150 not out off 253 balls. The two added 334 unbroken for the sixth wicket before Delhi declared at 515 for 5, and Badoni then took one of the four Jharkhand wickets to fall. Jharkhand closed on 131 for 4, with Utkarsh Singh 53 not out.

Saransh Jain finishes Bihar in two days

Madhya Pradesh did not need a third day in Indore. Saksham Purohit (132) and Rajat Patidar (109) took them to 407 for 8 declared, and Saransh Jain did the rest. The off-spinner took 7 for 40 as Bihar were bowled out for 99, then 6 for 49 as they made 134 second time round.

Jain’s 13 for 89 are his best match figures in first-class cricket, and Madhya Pradesh won by an innings and 174 runs. Bihar have now lost all three of their games this season.

Shami strikes for Bengal, and Chandigarh make 685

Mohammed Shami took 3 for 20 as Kerala slid to 101 for 6 in reply to Bengal’s 350. Shahbaz Ahmed made 121 in that Bengal total and then picked up 2 for 8 with the ball.

Mumbai made 430 against Haryana, with hundreds from Angkrish Raghuvanshi (114) and Musheer Khan (109). Chandigarh made 685 for 5 declared against Himachal Pradesh, built on Nehal Pajni’s 222. In the Plate group, Meghalaya’s Ajay Duhan made 239 and Kishan Lyngdoh was run out on 198.

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