Left-arm spinner Parth Bhut produced a devastating spell of 6 for 7 to put Saurashtra firmly in command against Assam on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy Group B encounter in Rajkot on Wednesday.Resuming at 156 for 4, Saurashtra stretched their first innings to 387, securing a valuable 106-run lead over Assam’s 281. Hetvik Kotak top-scored with a patient 80, while Prerak Mankad contributed 76.Lower-order batter Arth Yadav then frustrated the visitors with an unbeaten 46, helping the hosts push their advantage beyond the 100-run mark.Bhut then ripped through Assam’s batting line-up in the second innings, reducing them to 65 for 7 at stumps. Assam now trail by 41 runs with only three wickets remaining, leaving Saurashtra on course for their first outright win of the season.Sibsankar Roy, who scored the game’s only century in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 32 and was the lone batter to offer resistance. Veteran India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with a wicket, while captain Jaydev Unadkat went wicketless.Having secured first-innings lead points in their opening two matches, Saurashtra now stand on the verge of at least full six-point haul, while Assam are staring at their first defeat of the campaign.Rain hurts Delhi’s chances: In Ranchi, not a single ball was bowled on the third day of Delhi’s third round encounter against Jharkhand, which has effectively ended the visiting team’s chances of earning an outright win. Jharkhand were in a spot of bother at 131 for 4 at stumps on the second day after Delhi posted 515/5 declared.
