Ranji Trophy 2012-13, Round V, Day 3

Railways 157 for 1 trail Saurashtra 576 for 9 dec by 419 runs

Bengal 201 and 47 for 0 need another 344 runs to beat Mumbai 297 and 294 for 5 dec

Punjab 215 and 149 for 1 need another 55 runs to beat Rajasthan 222 and 196

Hyderabad 291 for 4 trail Gujarat 566 by 275 runs

Vidarbha 214 for 2 (Fazal 110*) trail Tamil Nadu 443 for 8 dec by 229 runs

Haryana 307 and 167 for 6 lead Delhi 224 by 250 runs

Maharashtra 315 and 73 for 1 trail Odisha 441 by 53 runs

Kerala 9 for 0 and 314 trail Services 335 (Chatterjee 107) by 12 runs

Goa 285 for 9 trail Andhra 393 by 108 runs

Tripura 441 and 116 for 5 lead Himachal Pradesh 260 by 297 runs

Delhi had Haryana six down for 109 in Lahli, Rohtak, but captain Amit Mishra has made a quick 50 off 62 deliveries to take them to 167 for 6, in addition to a first-innings lead of 83. We can still have an outright result here.

Jiwanjot Singh, with a double hundred on first-class debut, and a 158 in his second game, is carrying Punjab towards their fourth outright win in five matches. He has hit 15 fours in his unbeaten 80, and Punjab are 149 for 1, needing just 55 more in Mohali against the defending champions Rajasthan.

Vikramjeet Malik, that medium-pace tormentor of domestic line-ups, had Tripura on 13 for 4, but they have since recovered to 89 for 4. Veteran of 99 first-class games and former MP batsman Abbas Ali has reached his fifty, and taken Tripura's overall lead to 270. Himachal Pradesh made 260, allrounder Rishi Dhawan top-scoring with 54.

Allrounder D Shivkumar, part of the 2008 Under-19 World Cup squad, has scarcely believable figures of 22-10-26-6 in Vizag, where Goa are 262 for 7 pursuing Andhra's 393, which included 106 from Shivkumar. Former UP batsman Ravikant Shukla, also India's captain at the 2006 U-19 World Cup, fighting it out on 76.

Jammu & Kashmir have not had much to be happy about this season. They have had selection wrangles, player protests, two innings defeats, and a solitary point after three matches. All that looks set to be in the past. They have declared their second innings on 318 for 5, and have reduced Assam to 46 for 3 by stumps in an impossible chase of 477 in Guwahati, where play starts an hour early due to the time difference.

Virag Awate, who began his first-class career with a century in each innings, has gone early in Sambalpur. Maharashtra are 61 for 1 after conceding a lead of 126 to Odisha.

Someone pinch me. Mumbai have actually closed their innings on 294 for 5. They usually build gigantic first-innings leads, which does three things. Firstly, it kills the game. Secondly, it saves their bowlers a lot of work on placid pitches, and thirdly, it builds up their image of being khadoos grinders who love to torment the opposition. But at times, outright wins have to be produced, and with seven points from three games, Mumbai can surely do with one. Bengal need 391. Abhishek Nayar has remained unbeaten on 73, and after Hiken Shah fell for 118, our man Sid Talya tells me that "Aditya Tare came in and played some sizzling shots - the latest one being a mammoth six over deep midwicket off Veer Pratap Singh."

Sumit Narwal and Vikas Mishra have taken two wickets each in Lahli, Rohtak. Parvinder Awana has just bowled Sachin Rana for his sixth strike in the match. Haryana are 109 for 5; their first-innings lead of 83, though, has given them a lot of breathing space.

Tamil Nadu have finally got a wicket in Nagpur, after Vidarbha openers Faiz Fazal and Shiv Sunder Das made fifties. It has taken a run-out to send back Das for 62, Fazal is there on 77 and Vidarbha are 165 for 1 looking to go past TN's 443 for 8 dec.

The visitors are in trouble in Valsad. India Under-19 batsman Hanuma Vihari has gone for 79 and Hyderabad are now 249 for 4 after Gujarat piled up 566. Four bowlers have taken a wicket each.

In Mohali, Karan Goel has fallen for 28 but Jiwanjot Singh is batting on 45, and Punjab are 74 for 1 against Rajasthan, needing 130 more to make it four wins in five games.

Sid Talya writes in: "Hiken Shah does an AB! Reverse-sweeps Jhunjhunwala for a boundary to reach his third century this season, what a run." He's also made 92 against England XI, and three more centuries in the Safi Darashah tournament in Karnataka for MCA XI.

Railways 119 for 1 v Saurashtra 576 for 9 dec

Hyderabad 240 for 3 v Gujarat 566

Vidarbha 147 for 0 v Tamil Nadu 443 for 8 dec

Haryana 307 and 79 for 4 v Delhi 224

Maharashtra 7 for 0 and 315 v Odisha 441

Our man Sid Talya sends this update: "At tea, the hosts lead by 328. They are on 224 for 3, Hiken Shah is on 97, Abhishek Nayar on 56. Bengal went wicketless this session. Mumbai have stepped it up, scoring 119 in 27 overs after lunch." Could it happen? Could they declare? Could they go for the outright win? Just seven points from three games so far this season for the 39-time champions.

This is Punjab's season alright. Their openers Jiwanjot Singh and Karan Goel have knocked off a quarter of the target of 204 in Mohali against defending champions Rajasthan.

In Kanpur, UP have gone top of Group B with a demolition of Baroda before tea on day three. One look at the grassy Green Park wicket on day one and you could have at least said the game would produce a result, though not so early. Seam and swing, lots of bounce, which turned uneven on day three. Top batting from Man of the Match and lone centurion in the game Arish Alam, Mohammad Kaif, Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Devdhar. Top bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Aniket Rajpoot and Gagandeep Singh. How useful a cricketer is Bhuvneshwar, he finishes with seven wickets. UP get six points for the win and an additional point for doing it by ten wickets. They are on 17 from four games now, with Odisha and Baroda behind on 13 each from four.

Biplab Samantray is batting on 107 in Sambalpur, where hosts Odisha are 436 for 8. They were 432 for 5 before Samad Fallah took three quick wickets, but the lead has grown to 221 [my bad] 121.

In Mohali, India Under-19 quick bowler Sandeep Sharma has taken five wickets to dismiss Rajasthan for 196. Punjab 23 for 0. Sandeep debuted in Ranji Trophy last season for Punjab. This season, he's taken 4 for 38 v Railways, 7 for 25 v Saurashtra and now 5 for 57 v Rajasthan

Baroda's Abhimanyu Chauhan and Gagandeep Singh have ensured UP will bat again. The visitors are now 107 for 9 in Kanpur. UP's first-innings lead itself is worth 107.

Left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra has taken two wickets, and Delhi have Haryana on 35 for 3 in their second innings in Lahli, Rohtak. Haryana's overall lead 118

Ian Dev Singh has just fallen for 118 against Assam, and Pervez Rassol is batting on 116. What a tremendous performance from Jammu & Kashmir, who have seen protests from players over selection differences reportedly. And from Rassol, who had faced serious allegations a few years ago. J&K 306 for 3 and 323 v Assam 165. Wonder when the declaration is coming.

Tamil Nadu took 180 overs to make 443 for 8. Vidarbha have taken 38 overs to reach 100 for 0. Faiz Fazal 43*, Shiv Sunder Das 39*. Yaaawn. Want exciting domestic cricket? Watch the game between UP and Baroda, who are six down and need another 29 to avoid the innings defeat. The difference? A Green Park pitch which is so green that it is difficult to make out where the wicket is if you remove the stumps and the crease markings.

The pair have picked up seven wickets between them in Mohali. Rajasthan 193 for 8, the veteran Rashmi Parida latest to go, lbw to Sandeep for 33. Rajasthan lead by 200 now.

Sid Talya: "Hiken Shah has reached a half-century, struck nine boundaries and looked good so far. Mumbai are 123 for 3, a lead of 219." Hiken's scores this season - 0, 1, 105, 105, 107, 92, 140, 156.

Our man Sid Talya's appetite for lunch has been spoiled [I would like to believe that]: "Rohit’s gone off the last ball before lunch," Talya writes in. "Laxmi Shukla got one to nip back in, Rohit reached out to drive and was bowled through the gate, the off stump was sent cartwheeling towards the keeper. A poor game with the bat for Rohit, scores of 1 and 14. Mumbai are 113 for 3 at lunch, the lead 209." I gather they had jalebi fafda for breakfast at the CCI this morning, so maybe Sid Talya might not need lunch at all. Oh ho ...

Baroda 254 and 44 for 5 v UP 361

Haryana 307 and 20 for 0 Delhi 224

Railways 55 for 0 v Saurashtra 576 for 9 declared

Rajasthan 222 and 176 for 6 v Punjab 215

Akshath Reddy has fallen for 79, fourth time he has not converted a fifty into a hundred this season. Hyderabad 142 for 3 v Gujarat 566

Vidarbha 78 for 0 v Tamil Nadu 443 for 8 declared

Odisha 353 for 5 (Samantray 66*) v Maharashtra 315

Services 179 for 3 (Chatterjee 72*) v Kerala 314

Goa 132 for 4 v Andhra 393

Himachal 237 for 9 v Tripura 441. Now that has to be as rare as it gets. How many times have Tripura been in the position to enforce the follow-on?

Half an hour into the second session in Guwahati to the far east, J&K 323 and 214 for 2 (Ian Dev 77*, Rassol 65*) v Assam 165

We are getting a result today in Kanpur. Uttar Pradesh have run through the top half of Baroda's batting. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken the first three wickets, and Imtiaz Ahmed the next two. Twelve overs of swing, seam, bounce, both high and low, and Baroda have had no answers. 43 for 5, still need 64 to make UP bat again. UP went from 310 for 6 to 361 earlier. The captain Suresh Raina clapping and cheering his men on.

Tamil Nadu have failed to break through after declaring on their overnight total of 443 for 8. Faiz Fazal and Shiv Sunder Das [remember him?] have taken the score to 69.

Hyderabad captain Akshath Reddy, 21, is batting on 57 in the town of Valsad against Gujarat. Hyderabad are 114 for 2 in reply to Gujarat's 566. Here is a look at Akshath Reddy's scores this Ranji season - 63 & 59, 2 & 8*, 51 & 19, 196, and 57*

Our man Sid Talya writes in: "Rohit Sharma has another chance to make a mark this game. Kaustubh Pawar has just been caught smartly by Manoj Tiwary [do only I see the irony in this?] at midwicket. Mumbai are 72 for 2, the lead is 158... and Rohit has been put down first ball, an extremely tough chance at first slip, Jhunjhunwala tossed it up and Rohit went for the drive, got a thick edge, the fielder dived full length to his right, got a hand but couldn't hold on. A toughie."

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has already taken out the Baroda openers in his third over. He is swinging the ball in Praveen Kumaresque fashion. Baroda 10 for 2 after having conceded a lead of 107

Niranjan Behera has fallen to Chirag Khurana's offbreaks after making 103. Khurana has removed Subhrajit Sahoo as well. Odisha are 323 for 5 v Maharashtra's 315

Medium-pacers Harshal Patel, Mohit Sharma and Ashish Hooda have Delhi reeling at 213 for 8 in Lahli, Rohtak. Unmukt Chand has gone for 83, caught behind off Mohit. Mithun Manhas still there on 48. Delhi trail by 94.

Arish Alam's hundred and Mohammad Kaif's 83 on a difficult Green Park wicket have given Uttar Pradesh a big lead over Baroda. Left-arm seamer Gagandeep Singh has taken four, Murtuja Vahora has picked up three, and Baroda will come out to bat shortly. It is not going to be easy, the ball is still nipping around, and many deliveries have started to stay low. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was bowled by one that barely got up above his ankles.

Defending champions are in trouble again. The Punjab trio of Baltej Singh, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul have reduced them to 115 for 5 in Mohali. We are in for an outright result here, surely. Rajasthan lead by 122.

Punjab's incredible run this season - two innings victories, one by eight wickets, and a first-innings lead.

So said Ravindra Jadeja, to Devendra Pandey of the Indian Express. "I still can’t believe that I have scored another triple hundred, but it was my aim to score big runs," Jadeja said. "People consider me a T20 and an ODI specialist and I knew that if I score 60s or 70s, it will not help me or my team. Now, I hope that people will change their impression about me and consider me good enough to score runs in the longer format too." Three triple centuries should ideally be enough to shut millions of mouths. Unfortunately, nothing is ideal ...

It's raining hundreds, now offspinner Kamlesh Makvana has made one for Saurashtra, who are 576 for 9 v Railways. Left-armer Hardik Rathod has taken five wickets against his former team.

Jammu & Kashmir are in total control in Guwahati, where they have an overall lead of 259 over hosts Assam with nine wickets remaining in their second innings. Adil Rishi is the lone man out for 51.

One more host team is in trouble, in Nadaun. Himachal Pradesh are 148 for 6 after Tripura piled up 441. Piling up the runs is something Tripura don't do very often, they are usually crumbling in a pile.

Goa have lost their openers in their pursuit of Andhra's 393 in Vizag. They trail by 298 still.

In Delhi, Services are on 110 for 3 after Kerala made 314

Our man Sid Talya has made his way to Brabourne Stadium in south Mumbai, and he brings the bad news for the 39-time champions' followers. Jaffer has been bowled by Bengal fast bowler Shami Ahmed. Mumbai 33 for 1, overall lead of 129. Says Sid, "That was slightly short on the off stump. Jaffer expected it to move away and shouldered his arms, only for the ball to clip the bails."

Odisha are well on their way to taking the lead against Maharashtra in Sambalpur. Niranjan Behera has reached 94, and the hosts are 293 for 3. Maharashtra made 315

Unmukt Chand and Mithun Manhas, both men who retired hurt at various points yesterday, have resumed Delhi's innings in Lahli, Rohtak. Delhi 176 for 6 v Haryana's 307

Uttar Pradesh have lost centurion Arish Alam to left-armer Gagandeep Singh, who has taken his fourth wicket in Kanpur. UP 310 for 7 v Baroda's 254

Defending champions Rajasthan have lost nightwatchman Deepak Chahar in Mohali. They are now 85 for 2 in their second innings, with an overall lead of 92

Tamil Nadu have declared on their overnight score of 443 for 8, and Vidarbha are 11 for 0 in Nagpur

Jadeja has fallen for 331 off 501 deliveries after having batted close to 12 hours. Saurashtra 554 for 7 v Railways

9.35 am Morning to all, as we start day three of the Ranji Trophy's fifth round. Before we move on to updates from all the matches going on across the country, a word on Ravindra Jadeja, and the reception to his landmark of becoming the first Indian to make three first-class triple tons. Some of the reactions have been seriously sickening, to the tune of, 'it says so much about our first-class cricket if even Jadeja can get three triples.' Give the man a break, I say. Such reactions are a reflection of our culture, which is obsessed with big names and perceptions. I can only imagine the euphoria if Sachin Tendulkar had achieved the feat. Even if Cheteshwar Pujara had done the same, the reactions would have been markedly different, acknowledging the patience of the man to bat long periods. Hasn't Jadeja done the same? And if our pitches are so flat, why has no one else made three triples before? We are obsessed with looking at achievements through the prism of the achiever's image. Absolutely disrespectful to a fantastic deed by someone so young.

Don't blame the track for Jadeja's triple hundred, for most triple hundreds are scored on good batting surfaces only!!!

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 2, 2012