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Sikkim tightened the grip on their Ranji Trophy clash with a gritty and determined lower-order display that stretched the first-innings total to 429 all out, securing a massive 164-run lead over Bihar on Monday.
Resuming at the overnight score of 307-8 on Day Sikkim's tail wagged magnificently. Kranti Kumar brought up a splendid 137 and stitched together a 77-run ninth-wicket stand with skipper Lee Yong Lepcha (28), who provided valuable support before being dismissed. But even though it couldn't top the Sikkim surge. The last-wicket pair of Kranti and Bijay then frustrated Bihar further, adding another 62 runs. In response, at lunch on Day 3, Bihar has powered to 38 for no loss, trailing by 126 runs with Mangal Mahrour 27* and Sharman Nigrodh 10* on the crease. Earlier in the match, Bihar had won the toss and opted to bat. Spinner Ankur Malik's five-wicket haul squared off Bihar's first innings for 265. Ayush Loharuka and Bihar skipper Sakibul Gani were two batters to cross the 50-run mark, while Himanshu Singh made a vital contribution of 40 runs in the back for his side. Score summary after the end of 1st innings:Sikkim 429 (Kranti Kumar 137, Robin Limboo 91, Gurinder Singh 68; Suraj Kashyap 4-142) Bihar 265 (Sakibul Gani 66, Ayush Loharuka 63; Ankur Malik 5-81, Lee Yong Lepcha 3-52) Bihar Squad: Arnav Kishor, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Mangal Mahrour, Bipin Saurabh(w), Ayush Loharuka, Sakibul Gani(c), Himanshu Singh, Amod Yadav, Sakib Hussain, Shubham Roy, Vachaspati, Piyush Singh, Sachin Kumar Singh, Raghuvendra Pratap Singh, Nawaz Khan, Khalid Alam, Bhashkar Dubey, Sachin Kumar. Sikkim Squad: K Sai Satwik, Pranesh Chettri, Ashish Thapa(w), Amit Rajera, Robin Limboo, Gurinder Singh, Ankur Malik, Kranthi Kumar, Palzor Tamang, Lee Yong Lepcha(c), Bijay Prasad, Nilesh Lamichaney, Anwesh Sharma, Arun Chettri, Bhim Luitel. (ANI)
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