Saurashtra bury Punjab on a turner; Sarfaraz's 227 powers Mumbai

Yash Rathod's century helped Vidarbha stage a superb recovery from 45/4 to reach 295 against Andhra. Rathod hit 115 and was aided by key lower-order contributions from Darshan Nalkande (36) and Nachiket Bhute as Vidarbha claimed a 75-run first innings lead.

Sarfaraz Khan's magnificent 227 propelled Mumbai to a commanding 560 against Hyderabad. Sarfaraz smashed 19 fours and nine sixes in a knock scored at a faster than run-a-ball. There was also a century for Siddhesh Lad while Suved Parkar added 75. Hyderabad lost their openers cheaply in response but were steadied by Gahlaut Singh and Kodimela Himateja.

Manan Vohra and Arjun Azad slammed centuries to help Chandigarh build a massive lead over Kerala. After the visitors claimed a 277-run first-innings lead, they had Kerala at 21/2, needing 257 more runs to make Chandigarh bat again and staring at an innings defeat.

A 111-ball 66 from Ruturaj Gaikwad and an unbeaten 95 from Saurabh Nawal helped Maharashtra open up a 97-run lead against Goa with two wickets in hand.

Centuries from Ayush Pandey and Agrim Tiwary powered Chhattisgarh to a commanding 135-run lead against Delhi. Chhattisgarh, after bowling Delhi out for 216 in the first innings, motored along to 351 for 2 with more runs left in the bank.

Jharkhand declared at a mammoth 561/6 with centuries from Sharandeep Singh (139) and Kumar Kushagra (102). There were also four other half-centurions. In response, Uttar Pradesh stumbled to 32/3, staring at a massive deficit.

Sonu Yadav's five-wicket haul (5 for 30) helped winless Tamil Nadu secure a crucial first-innings lead against Odisha. The medium pacer's heroics, coupled with a brace each for Trilok Nag and P Vidyuth bowled Odisha out for 148. Tamil Nadu ended the day at 26/1 in their second innings, effectively 164 ahead and eyeing their maiden victory of the season.

Akash Deep and Mohammed Shami picked up five wickets between them as Bengal left Services staring at a follow-on in Kalyani. The visitors finished the day at 126 for 8, still trailing Sudip Chatterjee-powered Bengal's first innings by 393.

Saurashtra registered a comprehensive victory over Punjab inside two days. Parth Bhut and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja starred with five wickets each in the second innings as Punjab lasted just 79 overs across both innings. After taking a 33-run first innings lead, Saurashtra scored 286 in their second innings, despite slipping to 75 for 5. The target of 319 was too steep for Punjab to chase on a turner and they folded for 125. Shubman Gill endured a forgettable outing with scores of 0 and 14.

Group B toppers Karnataka were left reeling at 168/8 in response to Madhya Pradesh's 323. Saransh Jain was the pick of the bowlers with a three-wicket haul. Mayank Agarwal and Devdutt Padikkal bagged ducks, while Karun Nair managed just 12. It was left to an unbeaten 80 from Aneesh KV to reduce the deficit, which stood at 155 at the end of the day.

Other notable performances

Baroda crushed Nagaland by an innings and six runs after posting 353 in their only innings courtesy half-centuries from Jyotsnil Singh, Shivalik Sharma, Krunal Pandya and Mahesh Pithiya. Nagaland then collapsed to 141 all out in their second dig, with Pithiya and Atit Sheth claiming three wickets apiece.

Uttarakhand sensationally recovered from 128/6 to reach 299/6, taking a 33-run lead against Tripura. J Suchith (84*) and Saurabh Rawat (80*) orchestrated the remarkable turnaround with an unbroken 171-run stand.