Subramaniam Badrinath (248) slammed a double hundred as Tamil Nadu amassed a massive 532 for 8 against Madhya Pradesh on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group B match.
On Friday, he added 122 runs to his overnight 126 and was the last man out at the Holkar stadium in Indore.
His 248 came off 448 balls and was studded with 28 boundaries.
Badrinath is the second Tamil Nadu batsman to hit a triple digit score, following Baba Aparajith's 118 on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu, though, batted at a slower pace than Thursday, adding 238 runs for five wickets from 90 overs to the overnight 294 for 3.
Aswin Crist was unbeaten on 44, with Aushik Srinivas on 11, at the draw of stumps.
With two days remaining in the match, the home side has a huge task of even forcing a draw and getting one point.
For Madhya Pradesh, Rameez Khan grabbed two wickets, including that of Badrinath.
Anand Rajan, Amarjeet Singh and Salman Baig took a wicket each.
Brief Scores:
Tamil Nadu: 532 for 8 in 180 overs (Subramaniam Badrinath 248; Rameez Khan 2/78).
Mumbai in control as Punjab dismissed for paltry 155
Mohali: Defending champions Mumbai are firmly on course for a second successive outright victory, having dismissed Punjab for a meagre 155, after posting 282 in their first innings, and then swelling their overall lead to 162 runs in the Group A Ranji Trophy match.
Left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar turned out to be an unlikely hero for Mumbai. He wreaked havoc with a career-best six for 38 in 22.5 overs, polishing the lower half of the Punjab batting with clinical precision.
At stumps on the second day, Mumbai were 35 for no loss in their second innings.
Starting the day at 207 for 5, veteran batsman Wasim Jaffer (111) scored the 49th first-class hundred of his career as Mumbai managed 282 in 91.2 overs.
Jaffer faced 208 balls, hitting 13 fours and a six.
Zaheer Khan (33) scored some quick runs while senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh again had a good outing, taking four for 90 in 26 overs.
Harbhajan now has 13 wickets from three innings in the Ranji Trophy with a six-wicket and four-wicket haul.
He was well-supported by left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh Golu (2-74) and Yuvraj Singh (2-29).
However, the home team put up an inept batting display and was bowled out for 155 in 63.5 overs as the frail-looking Dabholkar ran through the lower order.
Skipper Zaheer Khan bowled 11 overs for figures of 1 for 26.
Such was the plight of Punjab's batting that none of the batsmen could even cross 40. Test discard Yuvraj Singh top-scored with 33, including five boundaries. He was dismissed by part-time off-spinner Surya Kumar Yadav.
The only other batsman to cross 30 was Amitoze Singh (31), who was bowled by Dabholkar.
The Mumbai openers scored 35 runs in their second essay at a fairly decent pace, with dogged opener Kaustubh Pawar striking 21 off those runs in 28 deliveries. The opener hit four boundaries. At stumps, he had wicketkeeper-batsman Aditya Tare (batting 11) for company.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai 282 in 91.2 overs (Wasim Jaffer 111, Harbhajan Singh 4-90) & 35-0 (Kaustubh Pawar batting 21)
Punjab 155 in 63.5 overs (Yuvraj Singh 33, Vishal Dabholkar 6-38, Zaheer Khan 1-26).
RP Singh takes four as UP get first innings lead against Baroda
Baroda: Senior pacer Rudra Pratap Singh grabbed four wickets as Uttar Pradesh managed a sizeable first innings lead of 74 runs against hosts Baroda in a Group B encounter of the Ranji Trophy at the Moti Bagh ground.
After putting up 302 in the first innings, UP's bowlers came back well to dismiss Baroda for 228 in 92.4 overs, thereby ensuring a healthy first innings lead.
Despite half-centuries from opener Saurabh Wakaskar (70), senior pros Ambati Rayudu (65) and Rakesh Solanki (51), Baroda lost seven wickets for only 44 runs, as RP (4-50 in 18,4 overs) ran through the middle and lower-order after skipper Suresh Raina (2-19 in 13 overs) provided couple of initial breakthroughs.
Raina, extracting turn and bounce from the track, removed opener Aditya Waghmode (13) and No 3 batsman Abhimanyu Chauhan (0) in one over.
At 32 for two, left-handed opener Wakaskar shared a 68-run third-wicket partnership with another left-hander, Rakesh Solanki. Wakaskar hit 10 fours and a six in his 139-ball knock before he was finally out caught by Tanmay Srivastava off left-arm spinner Praveen Gupta's bowling.
Wakaskar's departure brought Rayudu to the crease and along with Solanki added 84 runs for the fourth wicket.
At 184 for three, Solanki's patient 165-ball effort came to an end as he was caught by close-in fielder Srivastava off Gupta's bowling.
Skipper Yusuf Pathan did not last long, offering a simple catch to Arish Alam of leggie Piyush Chawla's bowling.
Once the second new ball was taken, RP and Imitiaz shared the spoils. RP bowled two while trapping the other two leg before as he got the new ball to dart back into right-handers.
Rayudu, who looked fluent during his 134-ball knock, that had nine fours, nicked one to Aamir Khan behind the stumps off Imtiaz's bowling.
Brief Scores:
Uttar Pradesh: 302 in 91.2 overs (Suresh Raina 123, Mohammed Kaif 39, Utkarsh Patel 5-78).
Baroda: 228 in 92.4 overs (Saurabh Wakaskar 70, Ambati Rayudu 65, RP Singh 4-50, Suresh Raina 2-19).
Railways struggle after good start
New Delhi: Railways bundled out Saurashtra for a paltry 165 but let go the advantage by losing four wickets in reply in a Group B Ranji Trophy match at Jamia Millia Cricket Ground.
Pacers Anureet Singh (5-52) and Hardik Rathod (3-34) shared eight wickets between them to end the visitors' first innings, which was resumed on the overnight score of 88 for 4 on Friday.
Anureet added two scalps to the three three he took on Thursday for a five-wicket haul while left-arm pacer Rathod polished off the tail.
Railways, though, could not make the most of the situation and were struggling at 61 for 4 at the end of the second day's play.
Nitin Bhille (16) and Mahesh Rawat (20) were at the crease for the visitors.
Aarpit Vasavada could not add a single run to his overnight score of 44 as he was first batsman to depart in the second over of the day, off medium fast bowler Krishnakant Upadhyay (2-52).
Skipper Jaydev Shah, overnight 25, and Chirag Jani helped the team cross the 150-run mark by scoring 45 and 32 runs respectively.
Anureet got his team's second wicket when he had Shah caught by wicketkeeper Amit Paunikar. Rathod then removed Kamlesh Makwana (9), Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (4) and Jani.
When Railways came to bat, young left-arm paceman Jaydev Unadkat, who has played six ODIs for India, gave Saurashtra a good start by removing rival skipper Shivakant Shukla (1) in his second over. Abhishek Bhat sent back Paunikar (11).
Later, Unadkat added Abhishek Yadav (9) to his wicket tally, while Jani saw the back of Arindham Gosh (3) to bring Saurashtra back in the match.
Brief Scores:
Saurashtra: 165 all out in 75.4 overs (Jaydev Shah 45, Aarpit Vasavada 44; Anureet Singh 5-52).
Railways: 61 for 4 in 33 overs (Mahesh Rawat 20 batting; Jaydev Unadkat 2-9).
Bengal 172-3 after dismissing Rajasthan for 244
Jaipur: Left-handed opener Rohan Banerjee struck a patient 77 as Bengal put up 172 for three at stumps on the second day, after bowling out Rajasthan of 244 in the first innings in a Group B Ranji Trophy encounter at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium.
Starting the day at 222 for 6, the hosts lost their last four wickets for the addition of only 22 runs on the day.
At close of play, Wriddhiman Saha (34 batting) and Subhomoy Das (0 batting) were at the crease as Banerjee was adjudged leg before in the second last over of the day off left-arm seamer Aniket Chaudhary's (2-39) bowling.
Banerjee faced 221 balls and hit nine boundaries. The visitors faced 66 overs on the day.
Bengal need another 73 runs to take the all important first innings lead.
Bengal speedster Ashoke Dinda returned with figures of four for 58 in 28 overs, taking three out of the four wickets that fell on the day. Veteran opener Vineet Saxena (119 not out) carried his bat through the innings as he faced 299 balls and hit 15 boundaries in the process.
Bengal openers Banerjee and right-hander Arindam Das (32) started on a cautious note and added 92 runs in 37 overs.
As has been the case for the past decade, Das again threw his wicket away after getting settled while playing 104 deliveries, as seasoned Pankaj Singh cleaned him up.
Anustup Majumdar (11) hit a couple of boundaries but was then trapped in-front of the wicket by a delivery from Chaudhary that held its line.
At 108 for two, Banerjee and Saha got together adding 64 runs for the third wicket. Saha's unbeaten 63-ball knock had four boundaries. Banerjee, on the other hand, waited patiently for the loose balls and avoided playing risky shots.
As he was playing for stumps, Chaudhary got one to cut back sharply and was rapped on the pads. Only one over of play was possible after Banerjee was dismissed.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan: 244 in 98.3 overs (Vineet Saxena 119 no, Ashoke Dinda 4-58, Shib Shankar Paul 2-41)
Bengal: 172-3 in 66 overs (Rohan Banerjee 77, Wriddhiman Saha 34 batting, Arindam Das 32, Aniket Chaudhary 2-39).
Sehwag, Gambhir fail as Delhi struggle
Surat: Akshar Patel's three-wicket haul gave Gujarat the upper hand as they reduced Delhi to 195 for four at stumps on day two, even as India discards Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir failed again, in their Group A Ranji Trophy match.
Gujarat, in their first innings, were all out for 320 earlier in the day. Delhi still trail the hosts by 125 runs with six wickets remaining.
Delhi were reeling at 49 for four at one stage but old warhorse Mithun Manhas and Manan Sharma put on an unbeaten 146-run stand for the fifth wicket to rescue the visitors.
While Manhas was not out on 85, Manan was on 59 at the end of day two.
However, all eyes were on the two out-of-favour India batsmen -- Sehwag and Gambhir -- both of whom are eager to make a comeback into the national fold. But they could not make the opportunity count.
While Gambhir wasted a fine start and was dismissed for a 79-ball 31, which included four hits to the fence, Sehwag was out for just one after facing four balls.
A delivery from spinner Jesal Karia saw Sehwag hitting the ball high up in the air to give a simple catch to the fielder at mid-on.
Gambhir, on the other hand, edged an Akshar delivery to short leg, leaving Delhi reeling at 49 for four.
Manhas and Manan steadied the boat as both scored half-centuries. Manhas's unbeaten knock came off 195 balls; it was laced with 11 fours and two sixes, while Manan's 124-ball innings was studded with nine boundaries and a six.
Left-arm orthodox bowler Akshar finished with figures of three for 24.
Earlier, Gujarat, after resuming on 281 for seven, added another 39 runs to the total, losing three wickets.
Overnight batsman Akshar, resuming on 22, went on to score 38, while Rush Kalaria (13) and Jasprit Bumrah (10 not out) helped Gujarat cross the 300-run mark.
Sumit Narwal was the pick of the Delhi wickets with 6/71.
Brief scores:
Gujarat: 320 all out in 104 overs (Venugopal Rao 107, Manpreet Juneja 50; Sumit Narwal 6-71)
Delhi: 195 for 4 in 76 overs (Mithun Manhas batting 85, Manan Sharma batting 59; Akshar Patel 3-24).
Kerala in a strong postion against Andhra
Kannur: An impressive display by their batsmen enabled Kerala post a huge 486 against Andhra in their first innings in a Group C match of the Ranji Trophy.
In reply to Kerala's first innings total, Andhra were 42 for no loss at stumps on Day 2, with openers Prasanth Kumar and Srikar Bharat unbeaten on 10 and 22 respectively.
Earlier, resuming on 236 for 4, Kerala's overnight batsmen -- Robert Fernandez and Sachin Baby -- completed half-centuries.
While Fernandez scored a patient 88 off 221 balls, with the help of eight fours and a six, Sachin Baby's 62, laced with four boundaries and two sixes, came off 146 balls.
Later Padmanabhan Prasanth (68) also scored a fifty, while CP Shahid (37) chipped in with important runs.
Brief scores:
Kerala: 486 all out 163 overs (Sanju Samson 115, Robert Fernandez 88, Padmanabhan Prasanth 68; Paidikalva Vijaykumar 3-66).
Andhra: 42 for no loss in 15 overs (Srikar Bharat batting 22).
Dhawan helps HP take first innings lead over Tripura
Agartala: Captain Rishi Dhawan led from the front with a well-made 67 to help Himachal Pradesh take a vital 45-run first innings lead over Tripura at the end of second days' play in a Ranji Trophy Group C match.
Resuming at the overnight score of 26 for 1, after bowling out Tripura for 141, Himachal's batsmen too found the going tough as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
If not for some determined batting from Dhawan and opener Prashant Chopra (43), it would have been difficult for Himachal to surpass Tripura's first innings total.
Dhawan struck nine fours and a six during his 95-ball knock while Chopra decorated his innings with seven boundaries.
Off-spinner Viki Saha was the pick of Tripura bowlers scalping five wickets for 53 runs.
At stumps, Tripura were 93 for one in 42 overs in their second essay, an overall lead of 48 runs.
K B Pawan was unbeaten on 56 runs; giving him company was Abhijit Dey on 20.
Subhrajit Roy (13) was the lone Tripura wicket to fall, stumped by Aatish Bhalik off leg-spinner Karanveer Singh's bowling.
Brief Scores:
Tripura: 141 & 93 for 1 in 42 overs (K B Pawan 56 not out; Karanveer Singh 1-21).
Himachal Pradesh: 186 all out in 61.5 overs (Rishi Dhawan 67, Prashant Chopra 43; Viki Saha 5-53).
Image: S Badrinath
Photograph: Arko Datta/Reuters
