Ranji Trophy Day 3 Roundup: Blockbuster Ruturaj Gaikwad & Rinku Singh misses out on 100

Day 3 is a moving phase in any four-day game and thus it was a crucial day for all participating teams in the Ranji Trophy. The headline-worthy clash of the ongoing second Round has been between state rivals Maharashtra and Mumbai, where the Ranji Trophy champions are in closing distance of a win. Apart from this, Tamil Nadu have been Delhi a shellacking in their own backyard. TN reduced Delhi to just 178/6 before Yash Dhull came up with a resounding century. Nevertheless, Tamil Nadu are way ahead in the game with a massive lead of 410. Washington Sundar, who has recently been added in the Indian squad, took two wickets. The highlight of the day was Ruturaj Gaikwad’s blistering hundred.

Ruturaj Gaikwad smashes quick century

A much-needed knock before the Australian tour, Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his dominant form in First-Class cricket, notching his seventh century on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy match against Mumbai. The Maharashtra skipper, coming to bat at number three, contributed as many as 145 runs to his side’s total of 388 after they lost an early wicket in the very first over.

Gaikwad was at his aggressive best and reached his century in just 86 balls. He shared a crucial partnership with Sachin Dhas, helping Maharashtra surpass the 200-run mark within two sessions. However, his innings was cut short by Shams Mulani, who dismissed him for 145. With this century, Gaikwad further solidified his position as the leading backup opener for India. With Rohit Sharma unavailable for a game in Australia, we might see Gaikwad sharing the opening stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

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Rinku Singh misses out on a century

Rinku Singh narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century as Uttar Pradesh (UP) faced a significant deficit of 186 runs against Haryana in their Ranji Trophy match. Despite his impressive innings of 89 runs, UP found themselves trailing. Rinku’s innings, which included 10 fours and three sixes, once again showcased his aggressive batting style. He targeted Yuzvendra Chahal, who went wicketless in 11 overs and also leaked runs at a high economy of over 5.

While Rinku’s dismissal was unfortunate for him, UP captain Aryan Juyal stepped up to the occasion and scored a century of his own. Juyal’s unbeaten 118 runs provided a glimmer of hope for UP, but they still faced an uphill battle to overcome Haryana’s lead.

Ranji Trophy Round 2 Day 3 Brief Scores:

Elite Group A

Match	Teams	Score
Meghalaya vs Tripura	Tripura	377/8d
	Meghalaya	222/10, 3/0*
Baroda vs Services	Services	74/2, 3/0*
	Baroda	447/6, 134/1d
Odisha vs Jammu & Kashmir	Odisha	272/10
	Jammu & Kashmir	270, 195/4*
Mumbai vs Maharashtra	Mumbai	441, 13/0*
	Maharashtra	126/10, 388/110

Elite Group B

Match	Team 1	Score
Uttarakhand vs Hyderabad	Hyderabad	292/10
	Uttarakhand	325, 189/5*
Himachal Pradesh vs Rajasthan	Rajasthan	Won by 8 wickets
Puducherry vs Vidarbha	Puducherry	209/10
	Vidarbha	283/10, 25/3*
Gujarat vs Andhra	Andhra	137/5, 203/4*
	Gujarat	367

Elite Group C

Match	Team 1	Score
Madhya Pradesh vs Punjab	Madhya Pradesh	207
	Punjab	277, 265/3*
Uttar Pradesh vs Haryana	Haryana	453/19
	Uttar Pradesh	267/6
Bengal vs Bihar	Day 3 washed out
Karnataka vs Kerala	Kerala	161/3
	No play on day 3 due to wet outfield

Elite Group D

Match	Team 1	Score
Assam vs Chandigarh	Chandigarh	374/19
	Assam	266, 144/7*
Saurashtra vs Chhattisgarh	Chhattisgarh	578/7d
	Saurashtra	177/2
Railways vs Jharkhand	Jharkhand	417
	Railways	329/4
Delhi vs Tamil Nadu	Delhi	264/8
	Tamil Nadu	674/6d

Plate

Match	Team 1	Score
Sikkim vs Goa	Goa	Won by an innings & 53 runs
Nagaland vs Manipur	Nagaland	237, 306/5
	Manipur	139, 96/2
Arunachal Pradesh vs Mizoram	Arunachal Pradesh	252, 77/3
	Mizoram	247, 404/2d