Rathour places Punjab in command with unbeaten 137

Punjab captain Vikram Rathour, with an unbeaten 137, placed his team in a commanding position at stumps on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Super League Group B match against Bihar at the PCA stadium in Mohali on Sunday. Replying to Bihar's first innings total of 244, Punjab were 268 for four at close of play.

Bihar, who were 197 for six at the end of play on Saturday, battled on to add another 47 runs. Rajiv Kumar, 43 overnight, was out for 55. He was one of Gagandeep Singh's three victims this morning. The medium pacer finished with four for 44 while Harbhajan had five for 69.

Punjab were given a rousing start with openers Rathour and Ravneet Ricky putting on 107 runs off 25.5 overs. Ricky hit 50 off 83 balls with the help of seven fours. Medium pacer Sanjeev Gupta who dismissed Ricky took two more wickets, those of Youraj Singh (2) and Pankaj Dharmani (0) and when RS Sodhi (5) was leg before to S Khan, Punjab had slumped to 128 for four. However Rathour found an able ally in Dinesh Mongia and the two figured in an unbroken partnership of 140 runs for the fifth wicket off 35 overs by stumps. Rathour, a former Indian opening batsman, who reached his hundred shortly after tea had by close, faced 198 balls and hit 16 fours and a six. Mongia, for his unbeaten 67, had faced 120 balls and hit seven of them to the ropes. Sanjeev Gupta had figures of three for 82 at close. But it is Punjab who currently hold all the aces.