Ranji Trophy 2012-13, Round VII, Day 3

5.40 pm That will be all then. See you for the final day of the seventh round tomorrow morning

Punjab 148 and 354 for 8 (Yuvraj 131, Jiwanjot 103, Amitoze 52) v MP 323

Vidarbha 302 for 2 (Ubarhande 129*, Shalabh Shrivastava 84*) v Karnataka 619 for 8 dec

UP 227 and 217 for 4 v Haryana 276

Baroda 208 and 116 for 4 v Tamil Nadu 230

Saurashtra 248 for 8 v Mumbai 606 for 5 dec

Rajasthan 135 and 153 for 2 (f/o) v Railways 405

Goa 346 for 8 (Reagan Pinto 85*) v Himachal 338

Services 221 and 71 for 4 (Yashpal 40*) need another 63 runs to beat J&K 85 and 269

Tripura 127 and 70 for 3 (f/o) v Kerala 400. Sreesanth's figures - 19-9-36-0 and 9-6-8-1

Jharkhand 257 and 20 for 0 v Andhra 410 (Amol Muzumdar 180)

Maharashtra have been dismissed for 266, for a lead of 269. Delhi need 270, the highest they have chased at the Roshanara, I am told, is 160 against Saurashtra in 2009, with Virat Kohli making an unbeaten 88

Says Sharda Ugra: "Five overs are left in fairly iffy bad light. Not sure many may happen but the umpires are out again. Delhi's support staff had already come out with yoga mats." Premature meditation, then. But wait. The yoga gurus were right.

"Sanity has prevailed," says Sharda. "And play is called off for the day. The umpires had headed out. And the announcement was made with some mirth over the walkie talkie that five overs had to be be bowled, but the umpires went out to the middle and took one look at light and returned."

Tripura 127 and 70 for 3 (f/o) v Kerala 400. Sreesanth's figures - 19-9-36-0 and 9-6-8-1

Jharkhand 257 and 20 for 0 v Andhra 410 (Amol Muzumdar 180)

Services have recovered from 7 for 3 to 57 for 3 in their chase of 134 against Jammu & Kashmir. Given the number of turns this game has taken, don't bet on a Services win yet

Vidarbha's Amol Ubarhande 120*, Shalabh Shrivastava 84*. Visitors on 293 for 2, still a long way to go. Karnataka 619 for 8 declared.

Saurashtra 241 for 8 in response to Mumbai's 606 for 5 declared. Aarpit Vasavada resisting on 77. Two strikes each for Ajit Agarkar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Javed Khan and Iqbal Abdulla

Sharda Ugra reports: "Off the second delivery with the the second new ball, Pradeep Sangwan bowls Shrikant Mundhe off a no-ball, again. He'd earlier had Khadiwale caught behind off a no-ball. Mundhe on 33. And now, he gets the wicket and Mundhe is gone. Phew! Middle stump knocked out of the ground, and this one, mercies to all, is a clean dismissal." Maharashtra 239 for 7, lead Delhi by 242

Bengal took the risk and it has paid off. A week after so much was written and said about the pitch for the Eden Gardens Test between India and England, Bengal prepared a green wicket, hoping for an outright win, and they have their six points on the third afternoon, a little before the light starts to fade over the nearby Hooghly. They had to make 181 to win, after the first three innings produced totals of 115, 116 and 181. Opener Rohan Banerjee made 56, and despite early and late wobbles, Wriddhiman Saha brought calm to the chase with an unbeaten 52. Ten wickets for the fast bowler Shami Ahmed in the match, and not to forget the contribution of the opener Arindam Das, who made 73 of Bengal's 116 runs in the first innings. A win achieved without the injured Manoj Tiwary and the Indian dressing room occupant Ashok Dinda.

It has been a slow day at Moti Bagh. Baroda, having conceded the first-innings lead, have scored at below two an over. The Tamil Nadu medium-pacer Kaushik has figures of 13-6-21-3, having dismissed the first three batsmen. Baroda 92 for 3, overall lead of 70

So many twists in this game. J&K made 85 in their first innings. Services, at one stage 39 for 6, eventually took a lead of 136 after Rajat Paliwal's hundred. J&K were in danger of an innings defeat at 112 for 6 in their second outing, but their lower order scraped to set a target of 134 for Services, who are 7 for 3 in their chase. Phew!

Medium-pacer Gaurav Yadav, in his second first-class game, has removed Jiwanjot Singh for 103 and the Punjab captain Mandeep Singh for 3. Yuvraj Singh still there on 112. Punjab 250 for 4, lead of 75

Result coming up on a green Eden Gardens pitch. The hosts have reached 140 for 4 against Hyderabad. The opener Rohan Banerjee has fallen for 56 but the wicketkeeper, and may I add, under-rated batsman, Wriddhiman Saha is there on 50. Bengal will nearly double their points tally of seven if they can get these remaining runs.

Vidarbha 228 for 2 (Ubarhande 88*, Shalabh Shrivastava 55*) v Karnataka 619 for 8 dec

UP 227 and 149 for 4 v Haryana 276

Baroda 208 and 68 for 1 (37 overs) v Tamil Nadu 230

Saurashtra 191 for 6 v Mumbai 606 for 5 dec

Rajasthan 135 and 60 for 0 (f/o) v Railways 405

Tripura 127 and 48 for 2 (f/o) v Kerala 400

Andhra 364 for 8 (Amol Muzumdar 143*) v Jharkhand 257

Goa 295 for 7 v Himachal 338

Services 221 and 2 for 1 need another 132 runs to beat J&K 85 and 269 (Nishan Singh 5-73, Suraj Yadav 4-79)

This has the makings of an unbelievable fightback. Following-on, facing a deficit of 175, Jiwanjot Singh, the Punjab opener, has made his fourth century in his debut season. Yuvraj Singh, back to the domestic grind, has struck 17 boundaries in his 106 off 125 deliveries. Punjab 237 for 2, and their lead is now worth 62

Sharda Ugra from the Roshanara Club: "Khadiwale bowled by Vikas Tokas. He left the ball and it came back in off the seam and bowled him. Maharashtra 170 for 6. Khadiwale 96 (195b, 12x4)." Has not been a productive season for the Maharashtra opener but he's fought today. Overall lead of 173 for the visitors now over Delhi

In Lucknow, Haryana, having taken a first-innings lead of 49, have hosts Uttar Pradesh on 138 for 4. Suresh Raina, the captain, has been stumped off Amit Mishra for 3. Mohammad Kaif has gone caught behind to Mishra again for 19. The medium-pacer Mohit Sharma took care of the openers, Tanmay Srivastava, who made 73, and Mukul Dagar, who made 20.

In Gwalior, Yuvraj Singh has breezed to 94 off 111 deliveries. The young opener Jiwanjot Singh is on 80, and Punjab, following-on, have gone into the lead over Madhya Pradesh. Punjab 203 for 2, lead by 28

After Narwal, it is Suyal. Maharashtra first lost their captain Rohit Motwani, after the ball change, caught behind by Puneet Bisht off Pawan Suyal. And next ball, Kedar Jadhav gone, caught by a diving Shikhar Dhawan at second slip off a ball slanting across. Suyal on a hat-trick, but it is defended by Chirag Khurana stoutly. Maharashtra 165 for 5, lead by 168

The hosts have recovered from 47 for 3 against Hyderabad at Eden Gardens. The opener Rohan Banerjee has reached his fifty, and Wriddhiman Saha is on 33. Bengal are now 110 for 3

The ball has been changed at the Roshanara, but before that, Ankit Bawne slashed Vikas Tokas to deep point. Maharashtra 152 for 3, lead by 155. Bawne 55 (107b 11x4). Sharda informs us that Bawne tried earlier to fiercely slash three times and missed, twice off Pradeep Sangwan and once off Tokas. He's gone on the same shot now.

Vidarbha 178 for 2 (Ubarhande 55*, SS Das 53) v Karnataka 619 for 8 dec

UP 227 and 91 for 1 (Tanmay Srivastava 54*) v Haryana 276

Baroda 208 and 23 for 1 v Tamil Nadu 230 (Prasanna 75, Aparajith 62, Vahora 4-36)

Saurashtra 151 for 6 v Mumbai 606 for 5 dec

Punjab 148 and 138 for 2 (f/o) (Jiwanjot 68*, Yuvraj 44*) v MP 323

Rajasthan 135 and 13 for 0 (f/o) v Railways 405

Tripura 127 and 24 for 2 v Kerala 400

Andhra 287 for 7 (Amol Muzumdar 106*) v Jharkhand 257

Goa 236 for 6 v Himachal 338

J&K 85 and 250 for 7 (Dayal 58*) v Services 221

Sharda Ugra on what was on offer today, courtesy the Roshanara Club and the DDCA - "The lunch menu (and I must state here in full truthfulness that I did not eat it all) 1. Chicken Kali Mirch 2. Shahi Paneer 3. Gobi Aloo 4. Dal 5. Fresh rotis and plain rice, and 6. Gulab jamuns

"Also must mention generosity of the hosts with some persuasion from the DDCA also to serve omlette-toast and chai for breakfast to journos who have to travel vast distances to get to the first ball.

It does not stop here. Gulp. Sharda has more: "Plus there is an ice-cream counter also at the Roshanara where you can buy Gyani's ice cream,which is of exceptional quality. My favourite flavour: Belgian chocolate." And on top of that, you get to watch the cricket. Some life. Maharashtra 136 for 2, lead by 139. Ankit Bawne was put down on 2 off Pawan Suyal by Mohit Sharma earlier. He is now on 46. Harshad Khadiwale on 88

The veteran batsman has done it. Andhra were in trouble at various stages of their innings, 35 for 3 when Muzumdar came in, 54 for 4, and then 169 for 6. But he's dug in for 91 now off 176 deliveries and along with young D Shivkumar (47*) taken Andhra past Jharkhand's 257. Andhra 259 for 6 in Dhanbad

It's raining follow-ons. After Punjab and Rajasthan, now Tripura have been asked to bat again, by Kerala, in Agartala. Tripura were dismissed for 127 in the first innings. Manu Krishnan took six wickets, Sandeep Warrier picked up three. Sreesanth's figures in his comeback innings - 19-9-36-0. Trailing by 273 on the first innings, Tripura are already 11 for 2 in the second, Warrier has removed the openers.

Vidarbha 120 for 2 (SS Das 53) v Karnataka 619 for 8 dec

UP 227 and 67 for 1 v Haryana 276

Baroda 208 and 20 for 0 v Tamil Nadu 230

Saurashtra 135 for 5 v Mumbai 606 for 5 dec

Punjab 148 and 110 for 2 (f/o) (Jiwanjot 58*, Yuvraj 27*) v MP 323

Rajasthan 135 and 4 for 0 (f/o) v Railways 405

Tripura 123 for 9 (Manu Krishnan 6-37, Sreesanth 0-36) v Kerala 400

Andhra 214 for 6 (Amol Muzumdar 65*) v Jharkhand 257

Goa 210 for 6 (Asnodkar 81, Desai 59) v Himachal 338

J&K 85 and 214 for 7 (Gupta 58, Ian Dev 52, Dayal 40*) v Services 221

Sharda Ugra says, "Maharashtra batsmen are looking settled in and comfortable; the accuracy required by the Delhi bowling has gone a bit missing. At lunch, Maharashtra are 100 for 2, in 37 overs, for a lead of 103. Khadiwale is 64 and Ankit Bawne on 32.

"Also, it may be a lovely sunny day but let me tell you there are biting breezes (if such a thing exists) that are running across the ground, from north to south. The experts say that it has to do with yesterday's rain showers." I am waiting for the lunch menu ... after reading yesterday's generous spread

The Railways medium-pacer has taken 5 for 35, and the defending champions are a sorry 120 for 9. Railways made 405. Follow-on surely? Railways are placed sixth out of nine teams in Group A.

It has been a low-scoring duel between Bengal and Hyderabad on a greenish Eden Gardens pitch. Bengal are 47 for 3 chasing 181 to win. Anwar Ahmed, Ashish Reddy and Ravi Kiran have picked up a wicket each. No Manoj Tiwary for Bengal this game, he is injured. Rohan Banerjee and Wriddhiman Saha the men facing the music in the middle

Saurashtra have suddenly lost their way from 97 for 2. Ajit Agarkar has succeeded in dislodging 'Mr Fevicol' Shitanshu Kotak for 31 off 98 deliveries. Javed Khan, who played against England XI recently the day after his father died, has removed Jaydev Shah for 60 and then bowled Sheldon Jackson cheaply. Saurashtra 114 for 5 v Mumbai 606 for 5 dec

Sharda writes in: "This hasn't been his best season, he is one of their most trusted batsmen but has scored only two fifties in five matches before this one. Now Khadiwale opens up his arms, takes a big swing at Rajat Bhatia and the ball ends up past midwicket. He crosses his fifty with a third boundary, whips an over-pitched one between square leg and midwicket and ends up looking stylish to boot. 50 off 109 balls, 8x4 and three boundaries in Bhatia's third over Khada reh Khadi Maharashtra men shout from the boundary line."

Sharda adds: "From some strange source there is the Munni badnaam song playing behind the sightscreen."

... courtesy senior editor and enthusiastic photographer Sharda Ugra who says, "How can you not take photos of this?" Indeed, how can you not?

Punjab have lost Karan Goel and Ravi Inder Singh in their follow-on innings. Jiwanjot Singh on 24, Yuvraj on 5. Punjab 148 and 54 for 2 v Madhya Pradesh 323

R Prasanna has guided his side past the hosts' 208 at Moti Bagh. He is unbeaten on 75 at the moment. No 10 M Rangarajan came in when TN were still 26 runs behind, and he's faced 25 deliveries for his 12 so far.

Bengal 32 for 0. Target 181 v Hyderabad

UP 227 and 34 for 0 v Haryana 276

Vidarbha 84 for 1 v Karnataka 619 for 8 dec

Saurashtra 102 for 2 (Jaydev Shah 60*) v Mumbai 606 for 5 dec

Ranjitkumar Mali, the Railways medium-pacer, has taken the big wickets of Ashok Menaria and Rashmi Parida. Rajasthan 107 for 6. Follow-on mark 256

The visitors have taken a lead of 49 over Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow. The fast bowler Rajpoot has taken the last two wickets this morning to end with 6 for 68, his maiden first-class five-for.

They still trail Baroda by 25 runs. R Prasanna is there on 65 and Murtuja Vahora has taken four wickets

Sid says, "I wish I could become a Peter Chimson. Wish I would have enough money by the time I reach 70." Sid, why wait till you are 70? Hardly costs anything to take a train/bus and go to an offbeat venue like Valsad if you are in Mumbai. Or go to Rohtak if you are in Delhi. Or to Mysore if you are in Bangalore. And so on ...

The Delhi medium-pacer rocks Maharashtra, removing Virag Awate and Sangram Atitkar off successive deliveries. Both batsmen out leg-before. Maharashtra 22-2 in their second innings, overall lead of 25. Update courtesy our senior editor Sharda Ugra, who has made her way across the capital in the morning traffic to the Roshanara Club ground.

Bengal need 181 to win against Hyderabad, who have added just nine to their overnight 172 for 7 to be dismissed for 181. The fast bowler Shami Ahmed has taken 6 for 71, three of his wickets bowled and two leg-before, suggesting a mighty disciplined line. Just 22, the man has already played for India A. He can get the ball to zip from just short of a length. Man to keep an eye on

Peter Chimson, a 70-year old from England, came to India to watch them play Pakistan in 2005, and since then, he has been coming here every year to see Ranji Trophy matches, writes Chinmay Brahme in the Indian Express. Chimson has been to venues such as Barmer, Palakkad, Sambalpur and Jammu. "Jammu was delightful," he says. "The ground was beautiful and I struck up a friendship with the scorer who told me to go and watch a game in Dharamshala." Unfortunately, when Chimson got to the Himachal town, he found out that the game had been shifted from there. What a man ... domestic cricket needs more like him, all over the world

Railways medium-pacer Anureet Singh has just dismissed Vineet Saxena for his third wicket. Saxena stuck it out, now he's gone for 22 off 111 deliveries, and Rajasthan are 62 for 4. The follow-on mark of 256 looks far, far away ...

We'll have all the updates for you from all the Ranji Trophy matches going on across the country soon ...