A fine century by opener Satyajit Parab (113) put Baroda in a comfortable position against reigning champions Uttar Pradesh on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Super League match in Baroda on Wednesday.
In reply to Uttar Pradesh's first innings of 269, Baroda were 259 for the loss of five wickets, with wicketkeeper Pinal Shah (31) and Irfan Pathan (9) unbeaten at close of play.
Resuming at the overnight score of 24 without loss, Baroda, who started on a cautious note, had an early setback, losing opener Connor Williams with just 10 runs being added to the total.
However, thereafter Rakesh Solanki, who joined Satyajit Parab, helped the home side recover from the early blow, and took the score to 87 without further damage at lunch.
The 93-run partnership for the second wicket ended when Solanki was foxed by leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who during an economical spell also dismissed centurion Parab later in the innings.
Seasoned campaigner Jacob Martin (42) too played his part effectively as he shared a crucial 71-run stand with Parab for the third wicket.
But just when the skipper was looking well set for a big score, new ball bowler Praveen Kumar got the better of him to provide a slight opening for the holders.
Following the early exit of Himashnu Jadhav, who was given out obstructing the ball, Irfan Pathan and Pinal Shah (31) played sensibly as Baroda moved closer to securing the vital first innings advantage.
Scorecard
Uttar Pradesh (1st Innings): 269 all out
Baroda (1st innings):
Connor Williams c A Khan b P Kumar 12
Satyajit Parab c T Srivastav b P Chawla 113
Rakesh Solanki b P Chawla 28
Jacob Martin c A Murtuza b P Kumar 42
Himanshu Jadhav (out obstructing the ball) 11
Pinal Shah batting 31
Irfan Pathan batting 9
Extras: (b-4, lb-1, nb-6, w-2) 13
Total: (for five wickets in 102 overs) 259
Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-127, 3-198, 4-213, 5-235
Bowling: S Srivastav 26-4-73-0, P Kumar 31-4-71-2, R Mishra 9-1-37-0, R Prakash 9-5-9-0, A Murtuza 10-2-24-0, P Chawla 17-3-40-2.