Bhargav Bhatt took eight wickets in the match and Priyanshu Moliya scored 132 as Baroda beat Bihar by 10 wickets in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A game in Vadodara, despite a 138 from Bihar’s Mangal Mahrour that stretched the chase to just two runs.
Vadodara, India: Bihar trailed by 250 runs on first innings and spent day three trying to claw back every one of them. They did, with one to spare. A second-innings 251 left Baroda a target of two, and the hosts knocked it off in 1.1 overs without losing a wicket, finishing the match with a day of the scheduled four still unused.
Moliya sets the platform
Bihar’s first innings was over in 53 overs for 166. Bipin Saurabh top-scored with 58 off 93 balls, while Raj Limbani took 4 for 32 and Bhatt added 2 for 17. Baroda’s reply was patient and heavy. Moliya made 132 off 233 balls with 19 fours, and Deepak Hooda scored 70 off 85 as Baroda reached 416 in 114.1 overs. Amod Yadav took 5 for 139 for Bihar, and Suraj Kashyap claimed two.
Mahrour fights back
Staring at a 250-run deficit, Bihar found a response in Mahrour. He scored 138 off 200 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes, and Ayush Loharuka added 49 off 112. Bihar were 224 for 4 in the 64th over, trailing by 26, when the contest still looked open.
Bhatt closes it out
The last six wickets then fell for 27 runs, and Bihar were all out for 251 in 76.2 overs. Bhatt finished with 6 for 53 from 29 overs, and Mahesh Pithiya took 3 for 40 in 18.2. Bhatt’s match figures were 8 for 70.
The finish came in a second round that has also produced Sai Kishore’s hat-trick for Tamil Nadu and Rinku Singh’s unbeaten 118 for Uttar Pradesh. For Bihar, Mahrour’s hundred and Loharuka’s support almost rewrote the match. For Baroda, Moliya’s first-innings century and Bhatt’s wickets in both innings decided it.
Result: Baroda 416 (Priyanshu Moliya 132, Deepak Hooda 70; Amod Yadav 5/139) and 4/0 beat Bihar 166 (Bipin Saurabh 58; Raj Limbani 4/32, Bhargav Bhatt 2/17) and 251 (Mangal Mahrour 138; Bhargav Bhatt 6/53, Mahesh Pithiya 3/40) by 10 wickets.
