*Mithun Manhas continues fine form

Mithun Manhas starred in Delhi's batting performance on Day One of their Ranji Trophy league match against Punjab at Amritsar.

On being asked to bat, Delhi lost Gautam Gambhir early, but mini- partnerships helped the side to a total of 70/3. There then followed a 63-run stand between Manhas and Sohail Rauf before the latter fell, having made a slow 11.

Manhas then found good support in Pradeep Chawla (63) who unfortunately had to withdraw at 197/4 after being struck on the finger. Manhas went on to complete his century and was unbeaten on 112 at the close of play, with skipper Vijay Dahiya also at the crease on 10.

*Himachal Pradesh bats steadily

Century partnerships for the first and third wickets gave Himachal Pradesh a solid start against Haryana on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy league match at the Maharaja Aggarsain Stadium in Rohtak.

Himachal Pradesh won the toss and opted to bat first on a wicket that offered nothing to the bowlers. The opening pair of Nischal Gaur and Sandeep Sharma added exactly 100 runs for the first wicket, in 123 minutes and off 182 balls. Sharma made 61 off 86 balls and was the first to fall. After the dismissal of Gaur (45) for an addition of just 19 runs, the in-form Rajiv Nayyar and Sangram Singh put on 113 runs without being separated until the close of play.

At stumps, Sangram Singh was unbeaten with 71, and Rajiv Nayyar was batting on 47, playing slower than his partner. For Haryana, Sumit Narwal and Amit Mishra captured one wicket each. Himachal Pradesh ended the day on 232 for 2.

*Kavaljit Singh inspires Jammu & Kashmir

Having shown glimpses of fine form in his previous match, Jammu & Kashmir batsman Kavaljit Singh translated it into a big knock against Services on Day One of their Ranji Trophy league match at Delhi.

Winning the toss, Jammu & Kashmir opted to bat, a departure from the policy they have being following of late. They were rewarded for this experiment, however, as Sabir Kanth and Kavaljit batted resolutely to reach a score of 237/1 by stumps.

Although opener Raju Sharma departed early, Kanth and Kavaljit put on 217 runs for the second wicket. Kanth, the slower of the two, was unbeaten n 69 off 268 balls, while Kavaljit had made more than double that score. He was on 148 off 254 balls at the close of play.

*Chetan Sachdev holds Tripura together

The innings held together largely by Chetan Sachdev, Tripura reached a total of 266/6 by the close of play on Day One of their Ranji Trophy league match against Bihar at Agartala.

Winning the toss, Tripura elected to bat but found themselves reeling at 63/4. A small partnership then developed between Timir Chanda and Sachdev before the former departed at 116, having made 44.

Sachdev was then joined by Abdul Sattar, and the two put on 134 runs before Sattar was dismissed for 63. At the close of play, Sachdev was unbeaten on 99 off 209 balls, and Rajib Dutta (8*) was also at the crease.

*Bengal restrict Assam on Day One

Bengal restricted Assam to a total of 214/7 on Day One of their Ranji Trophy league match at Calcutta on Friday.

Winning the toss, Assam opted to bat and started off well, with openers Parag Das and Subhrajit Saikia putting on 62 runs for the first wicket. Despite the fall of Saikia, Das went on to make 59 off just 58 balls before being dismissed with the score on 90.

Thereafter, although Syed Zuffri made a slow 69 off 205 balls, none of the other batsmen could support him, and wickets tumbled. Zuffri was the sixth wicket to fall with the score on 207. At the close of play, Nishanta Bordoloi (3*) and Sukhvinder Singh (3*) were at the crease.

*Saurashtra batsmen dominate Gujarat

Saurashtra, aided by two centuries from its batsmen, put up 434 for the first innings and then had Gujarat at 141/3 by the close of play on Day Two of their Ranji Trophy league match at Rajkot.

Winning the toss, Saurashtra made maximam use of batting first. Opener Sujith Somasunder hit a fine 119 off 302 balls at the very top of the order, stroking 17 fours and two sixes. He also put on 166 runs for the fourth wicket with the other centurion, Feroz Bhambhaniya.

Bhambhaniya made 109 off 258 balls, hitting 12 fours. He shared a good stand with wicket-keeper Reuben Paul, who hit 74 off just 89 balls. Gujarat bowled their rivals out for 434, with off-spinner Bhavin Mehta taking three wickets.

In reply to Saurashtra's large first-innings score, Gujarat reached 141/3 by close on Day Two, with Niraj Patel striking an unbeaten 89 off 120 balls. He was accompanied at stumps by Tejas Varsani, who was unbeaten on 2.

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