Patidar continued from where he left yesterday.
Rajat Patidar notched up a magnificent double century in the opening round of the Ranji Trophy 2025/26. Playing for Madhya Pradesh, he completed his 15th First Class century in 160 balls yesterday and continued from where he left off on Day 3.
He took 330 deliveries to complete the double ton and put his team in a commanding position. He had useful partnerships with Shubham Sharma and Venkatesh Iyer, and while they were dismissed after a short stay, Rajat Patidar kept batting and went on to notch his maiden 200 in the format.
He has been in sensational form in red-ball cricket lately. Earlier, he had hit a couple of centuries in the Duleep Trophy 2025 and a fighting 66 in the Irani Cup 2025, proving his credentials in the longest format.
There might be no place in India’s Test side at the moment, but Rajat Patidar will surely be in contention after impressing with bat and as a captain lately. He has had his chances before but couldn’t grab them, as his tepid average of 10.50 across six Test innings suggests, but his recent improvement has certainly taken him high in the pecking order.
Meanwhile, barring Rajat Patidar, Sanju Samson also played a fine hand of 54 runs for Kerala in a precarious situation. When he came to the crease, Kerala were reeling at 35/3 and kept losing wickets from the other end, but Samson held his end tight and played a counterattacking knock to put the pressure back on the opponent.
He took 63 balls, hitting five boundaries and a maximum, with a strike rate of 85.71. His innings ensured Kerala got some stability, but he would have liked to keep batting and convert it into a big score.
Vicky Ostwal, who has been impressive in this game, dismissed him soon before Lunch. It has not been an easy pitch to bat, but Samson was clearly more fluent than other batters and showed his class again.
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Mumbai batters Ayush Mhatre and Ajinkya Rahane failed to impress again in the second innings against Jammu and Kashmir. Both registered low scores in the first dig as well.
In the second innings, Mhatre scored 13 in 17 balls, including three boundaries. He would have liked to make a substantial score after a positive start, but his innings was cut short by Umar Nazir.
Similarly, Rahane was unimpressive again, getting out on a 4-ball duck. Both dismissals left Mumbai in early trouble against a fiery bowling attack.
Tilak Varma kicked off the Ranji Trophy on a false note. Batting at No.4, he could only last two balls and was dismissed without any runs against Delhi.
Ayush Badoni got the better of him in the 43rd over. Fresh off List A games against Australia A, Tilak would have looked to continue his good run with the bat, but his innings ended before it could even start.
His low score meant Hyderabad were in trouble despite a stable start. The second-wicket partnership of 140 runs had put them on course to get near Delhi’s massive first-innings score, but the team lost two quick wickets just before Lunch.
Delhi captain Ayush Badoni has been doing the heavy lifting for his side against Hyderabad. While batting in the first innings, he made a fine 53, with the help of nine boundaries.
However, his best came with the ball, as Badoni dismissed the five batters of the opponent, including Tilak, to provide an early advantage to Delhi. Time and again, he has shown his utility as a bowler and continued to grow in the secondary role.
He earned his maiden First Class five-wicket haul. Badoni is slowly developing into a complete all-rounder.
Among the most consistent First Class batters, Tanmay Agarwal hit his 18th ton. Opening the innings, he batted well throughout and showed his class again.
He formed useful partnerships with other Hyderabad batters, and while they got out, Tanmay continued to score. He will eye a big score and look to convert this century into a double, like Rajat Patidar, on what seems like a nice batting surface.
Deepak Hooda also notched up a magnificent century against Chhattisgarh. Batting at No.4 for Rajasthan, he scored 130 runs in 210 balls, including 15 boundaries and a maximum.
He has been the leading run-scorer in the first innings for his team. His knock ensured Rajasthan surpassed the opponent’s score and are in the lead now.
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