Hello Yellow Army!
After the stupendous century from Sarfaraz Khan on day 2, it was another good day 3 of Round 2 of the Ranji Trophy 2026-27 for our boys, especially Ruturaj Gaikwad, who hit a century. There was also a win for Tamil Nadu, which includes a good contribution from Gurjapneet Singh in the first innings, while it was a quite tough day for some of our bowlers. So let's see how they did.
At a glance
| Player | Match | Day 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Maharashtra vs Jharkhand | 101* and his 10th first-class century, Maharashtra declared on 527/5 |
| Sarfaraz Khan | Mumbai vs Himachal Pradesh | 154, Mumbai declared on 528/8 |
| Gurjapneet Singh | Tamil Nadu vs Uttarakhand | 0/13 in 5 overs, Tamil Nadu won by an innings and 66 runs |
| Shreyas Gopal | Karnataka vs Saurashtra | 1/55 in 19.3 overs, Saurashtra took a 7-run lead |
| Urvil Patel | Gujarat vs Delhi | 23, Gujarat struggling at 153/4 at that time |
| Aman Hakim Khan | Puducherry vs Madhya Pradesh | Yet to bat in the second innings, Puducherry 98/1 |
| Kartik Sharma | Rajasthan vs Railways | Yet to bat again, Railways 304/6 and trailing by 193 |
| Kuldip Yadav | Mizoram vs Nagaland | 1/67 in 19 overs, Nagaland 324/3 |
Ruturaj Gaikwad: the 10th first-class century
Remember how I told you he had a good start on day 2? He was unbeaten on 35 and finished the job today. Ruturaj was on 97 at lunch and then brought up his 10th first-class century, and he did it batting down the order at number 7. He is unbeaten on 101 as Maharashtra declared on 527/5, taking a lead of 358 runs over Jharkhand (169 all out).
This is our captain Ruturaj, who can hit a century as an opener, in the middle order, or even as a finisher when needed. Just like last year, when he played 7 innings to hit 410 runs in the Ranji Trophy for Maharashtra, he is continuing the same form in first-class and List A cricket before going on the New Zealand tour. What a way to get back into red-ball cricket. Here is his tracker entry.
Sarfaraz Khan: out for 154
Unfortunately, Sarfaraz could not build up more to his overnight 139, and was out for 154. Mumbai then declared on 528/8, a big lead over Himachal Pradesh, who were bowled out for 140 in the first innings. Still a great knock after that 1 off 6 in Round 1. Just like in Round 1, it seems quite possible that he won't be coming to bat again, as Himachal Pradesh ended day 3 on 144/3 in their second innings, still trailing by 244 runs.
Gurjapneet Singh: Tamil Nadu win by an innings and 66 runs
After his 4/34 on day 1, Gurjapneet rarely got a bowl in the second innings as his partners did the work. Captain Sai Kishore took 6 wickets and Ajith Ram took 4, and Uttarakhand were bowled out for 113. Tamil Nadu won by an innings and 66 runs. Not much to do in second inning, Gurjapneet got 5 overs and gave 13 runs without a wicket. More in his tracker entry.
Shreyas Gopal: Karnataka trail by 7 runs
Our man Gopal is captaining Karnataka, and it was a tough day for his bowlers. Saurashtra bounced back from 173/5 to be all out for 349 in 108.3 overs, and that gave them a 7-run lead over Karnataka's 342 in the first innings. Gopal finished with 1/55 in 19.3 overs, after his tight 7 overs for 26 on day 2.
Urvil Patel: another start without a big score
Urvil finally came out to bat today with big expectation, but he was out for 23 before lunch, with Gujarat struggling at 153/4 at that time. They are trailing behind Delhi's mammoth 648/6 declared. It was a chance to bat long after his 85 off 67 in Round 1, but it did not happen.
Aman Hakim Khan: still to come
Puducherry were bowled out for 177 in the first innings, in which Aman was stumped for 6. Madhya Pradesh were all out for 345 and got a lead of 168. In the second innings, Puducherry ended day 3 on 98/1 in 38 overs, still trailing by 70 runs. Aman is yet to come out to bat, so let's see how he does tomorrow.
Kuldip Yadav: a tough day with the ball
Not an easy day for Kuldip. He finished with 1/67 in 19 overs as Nagaland batted really well against Mizoram's mammoth 581/9 declared. Nagaland are 324/3 in 101 overs and trail by 257 runs, so they are going good ahead of tomorrow.
Kartik Sharma: still waiting for his second innings
After his 4 on day 2, Rajasthan are in a good position under his captaincy. Rajasthan made 497 in the first innings, and Railways are still batting on 304/6 in 109 overs, trailing by 193 runs. Rajasthan's second innings has not started yet, so Kartik is yet to bat again, and I hope he gets a better score when it does.
Who is out
- Ayush Mhatre is out with a Grade 4 hamstring tear and will miss at least the next three games for Mumbai.
- Mukesh Choudhary is not in Maharashtra's XI as he has joined India A for the New Zealand tour.
- Anshul Kamboj is not in Haryana's playing XI, maybe to keep him fresh for the New Zealand tour.
- Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube are with the Indian T20I squad for the New Zealand tour, where the five T20Is start on 22 October.
- Ramakrishna Ghosh is still recovering from his foot injury, and Prashant Veer was not in Uttar Pradesh's XI.
- Rahul Chahar was not in Rajasthan's XI, and he is reportedly set to join Jammu and Kashmir as a guest player, though there is no official announcement yet.
I will keep adding every update on the Super Kings Player Tracker, so keep an eye on it, and I will be back with the day 4 article tomorrow.
Stay healthy stay yellow.