SHILLONG: Young wicketkeeper-batter Bipin Saurabh struck his maiden first-class century as Bihar reached 247 for seven against Meghalaya on day one of their Ranji Trophy plate group match here on Tuesday.
At stumps, Sakibul Gani was batting on 52, while Shivam Kumar was yet to open his account at the Meghalaya Cricket Association Cricket Ground.
Rajesh Bishnoi was the most successful bowler for Meghalaya, taking four wickets for 56 runs in 22 overs.
Opting to bat, Bihar were off to a poor start, losing opener Babul Kumar in the very delivery of the match. Soon they were 14 for two as Kumar Mridul (12), having struck three boundaries in a brief stay, was dismissed by Akash Choudhary.
Sachin Kumar (52), Bipin Saurabh (107) and Gani then helped Bihar recover and close in on 250 by the end of day's play. Only 68 overs of play was possible owing to bad light.
In the day's other plate group game, in Rangpo, Mizoram scored 225 for seven against hosts Sikkim, with former Punjab batter Taruwar Kohli making 94 off 190 balls and local player Zothanzuala battling his way to 48 off 193 balls.
Brief scores:
Bihar: 247/7 in 68 overs (Bipin Saurabh 107, Sakibul Gani 52 batting, Sachin Kumar 52; Rajesh Bishnoi 4/56) vs Meghalaya.
Mizoram: 225/7 in 90 overs (Taruwar Kohli 94, Zothanzuala 48) vs Sikkim.
