Saransh Jain takes seven as Bihar fold for 99 and Madhya Pradesh lead by 162

Madhya Pradesh closed the opening day in Indore 162 runs ahead after Saransh Jain's seven-wicket haul folded Bihar for 99

Bihar won the toss and chose to bat at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, and were bowled out for 99 inside 30.3 overs on the first morning and afternoon of this Ranji Trophy Elite Group A fixture.

Off-spinner Saransh Jain did most of the damage with 7-40 from 13 overs, working his way through a middle order that had already been opened up by two wickets in the first over of the innings.

Madhya Pradesh replied with 261 for 3 from 57 overs by the close, a lead of 162, built on an opening stand of 146 and an unbeaten hundred from wicketkeeper Saksham Purohit.

Two wickets in the first over

Avesh Khan set the tone immediately, removing both openers with Bihar on 1. Naman Gaurav and Sharman Nigrodh were dismissed without scoring in the first over of the match.

The seamer finished with 2-13 from four overs, a short spell that effectively decided the shape of the day before the spinners took over.

Bihar's decision to bat first looked poor long before lunch, the innings lasting only 30.3 overs and Madhya Pradesh's bowlers finding far more in the conditions than Bihar's did later in the day.

Jain works through the middle order

Jain had Ayush Loharuka caught and bowled for 1 at 18, then struck twice in an over to account for captain Sakibul Gani for 2 and Akash Raj for a duck, leaving Bihar 37 for 5.

Raghuvendra Pratap Singh fell for 8 at 55 to bring up Jain's fourth wicket, and Bihar slipped to 59 for 7 as the innings came apart either side of the interval.

Kumar Kartikeya supported the off-spinner with 1-20 from 11.3 overs, Bihar managing only 30.3 overs in all before the innings ended.

Mahrour alone offers resistance

Opener Mangal Mahrour was the only Bihar batter to pass 40, and the last man dismissed, his innings the one that lifted the total towards three figures.

Suraj Kashyap made 15 from the lower order. No other batter in the side reached double figures, six of the top seven falling in single figures.

Dubey and Purohit build the lead

Yash Dubey and Saksham Purohit put on 146 for the first wicket before Dubey edged behind for 84 from 94 balls with 11 fours, caught by Gani off Kashyap in the 28th over.

Purohit, who also keeps wicket, was the more watchful of the two and reached his century in the closing session, unbeaten on 112 from 166 balls as the lead moved past 150.

It was a second substantial contribution from the top of the Madhya Pradesh order in as many innings, and it arrived against an attack already a bowler short of answers.

Chanchal Rathore made 21 from 39 balls before falling at 206, and Shubham Sharma went two balls later for a duck, leaving Madhya Pradesh three down but still comfortably ahead.

Captain Rajat Patidar, who made 122 in the previous round against Puducherry, was 21 not out at stumps alongside Purohit.

Bihar's season slides further

Bihar arrived in Indore having lost their first two matches of the season, beaten by an innings and 267 runs by Uttar Pradesh and then by 10 wickets by Baroda in Vadodara.

A third heavy defeat would leave Ashutosh Aman's side facing relegation to the Plate Group, with three days still to play at the Holkar.

Madhya Pradesh, who drew their first two fixtures, are chasing a first win of the campaign and have three days left in which to force it.

Scorecard: Bihar 99 (30.3 ov; Saransh Jain 7-40, Avesh Khan 2-13) trail Madhya Pradesh 261 for 3 (57 ov; Saksham Purohit 112*, Yash Dubey 84) by 162 runs at stumps on day one.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.