Debutant Tyagi bowls UP to innings victory

Uttar Pradesh 448 (Raina 203, Chawla 69. Preetamjit Das 5-63) beat Orissa 216 (SS Das 75, Jayachandra 55, Tyagi 6-46) and 222 (Halhadar Das 71, Jayachandra 50, Tyagi 4-46) by an innings and 10 runs
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Debutant medium-pacer Sudeep Tyagi completed a ten-wicket haul on Ranji Trophy debut to get Uttar Pradesh's 2006-07 campaign off to a great start, as the visitors beat Orissa by an innings and ten runs at Cuttack. Tyagi, who took 6 for 46 in the first innings, picked up 4 for 46 on the third day, after UP posted 448, to rout Orissa for 222.

After Piyush Chawla's 69 helped extend UP's overnight lead, Tyagi nipped out two early wickets to leave Orissa 15 for 3. Chawla himself spun out three wickets, and the writing was on the wall. Allrounder Pinninti Jayachandra hit his second half-century of the match, and wicketkeeper Halhadar Das 71, but with no other support Orissa succumbed in the third session.

UP's large total owed plenty to Suresh Raina's 203 from 217 balls, his maiden double-century, after UP had been 35 for 3.

Hyderabad 65 for 5 trail Bengal 461 (Tiwary 203, Saha 111) by 386 runs
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Manoj Tiwary stamped his authority over Hyderabad at Eden Gardens with a characteristically aggressive 203, and debutant wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha a fine 111, before Bengal left the visitors reeling at 65 for 5 by stumps on day three. Tiwary, who took Bengal to 289 for 5 by the close on day two, hit an inexperienced Hyderabad attack around the ground to record his second first-class double-century, studded with 28 fours and two sixes.

Saha, 23, became the 15th Bengal player to score a hundred on Ranji debut with 15 fours and a six during his 194-ball effort. He added 177 for the fifth wicket with Tiwary and crucially shepherded the tail to 461

Weighed down by the mountain of runs, Hyderabad capitulated against a disciplined bowling attack, spearheaded by Shib Shankar Paul. Though Ranadeb Bose struck first, Paul broke the spine of the Hyderabad line-up by removing captain VVS Laxman for a four-ball duck and then got top-scorer Ravi Teja (39 from 58 balls). Still 386 runs behind, Hyderabad are up against it.

Delhi 119 and 317 for 4 (Kohli 106, Manhas 86*, Bhatia 65*) lead Rajasthan 85 by 351 runs
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Led by Virat Kohli's maiden first-class hundred, Delhi forced a complete turnaround at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, taking a 351-run lead after being dismissed for 119 on day one. Delhi had been 24 for 2 early on the third day but Kohli was superb, seeing them out of danger with 106 from 192 balls. Delhi's position was then solidified with a 123-run unbeaten stand between Mithun Manhas, on 86, and Rajat Bhatia, on 65, but it remains to be seen how early Manhas declares the innings on the final day. Twenty wickets fell on a manic first day, but the track has eased out nicely and Delhi's bowlers will need another excellent display to take ten Rajasthan wickets.

Karnataka 195 and 195 for 1 (Dravid 77*, Pawan 76*) lead Mumbai 337 by 53 runs
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Karnataka batted their way out of trouble on a third-day Wankhede pitch that got progressively slower, erasing a 142-run deficit and finishing with a 60-run lead over Mumbai. KB Pawan made a patient unbeaten 76 and stitched together a 69-run opening stand with Barrington Rowland, and then put on an unbroken 126-run association with a steady Rahul Dravid. Vinay Kumar grabbed three wickets to wrap up Mumbai's innings for 337 before Karnataka reached 195 for 1 by the close of play.

Saurashtra 291 and 216 for 6 (Pujara 103*) lead Himachal Pradesh 181 (Makvana 6-41) by 326 runs
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Offspinner Kamlesh Makvana picked up career-best figures of 6 for 41 to dismiss Himachal Pradesh for 181 - from an overnight 175 for 8 - before Cheteshwar Pujara hit an unbeaten 103 to extend Saurashtra's lead to 326 at Dharamsala. Ashok Thakur, the left-arm medium-pacer, grabbed four wickets to leave Saurashtra 83 for 5, but Pujara, during the course of his fifth first-class century, added an unbroken 100 with Rakesh Dhurv (39 not out) to take the side to 216 for 6. Pujara has so far faced 190 balls and hit ten boundaries.

Punjab 372 for 9 (Kaul 144, Dharmani 94) lead Andhra 334 by 38 runs
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Uday Kaul hit a career-best 144 and Pankaj Dharmani missed another first-class hundred by six runs as Punjab made slow progress against Andhra at Amritsar, finishing the third day 38 runs ahead with one wicket standing. The rookie, 19 and in his tenth game, and veteran, who became Punjab's highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy in his 120th appearance, extended their overnight stand to 181, but Andhra hit back with lower-order wickets. Punjab never tried to force the pace, however, content with having taken the first-innings lead and with it three points, and a tame draws looms on the fourth day.

Tamil Nadu 58 for 3 trail Maharashtra 430 (Takawale 76, R Ashwin 6-133) by 372 runs
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Maharashtra's lower order rallied to take their total from 274 for 4 to 430 before restricting Tamil Nadu to 58 for 3 on the third day at Chennai. The inclement weather abated - after only 3.2 overs were possible on day two - but Maharashtra piled on the misery for TN. Yogesh Takawale made 79 and debutants Vishal Bhilare and Ashish Suryawanshi scored a pair of forties from down the order as the visitors slowly ticked along. Once R Ashwin grabbed the final wicket to finish with 6 for 133, TN's top order stuttered to 58 for 3 by stumps.