Juyal, Sharma put UP in driver’s seat

Lucknow: Skipper Aryan Juyal's unbeaten double century and Karan Sharma's ton helped Uttar Pradesh amass a mammoth total of 603 runs against Bihar on the third day of their Ranji Trophy match at the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna on Friday. In their second innings, Bihar was struggling at 130/5, still trailing by 355 runs.
Earlier, overnight batsmen Aryan Juyal (103*) and Karan Sharma (90*) resumed their innings from where they had left off the previous evening. First, Karan Sharma reached his century (118 off 163 balls), and then Juyal took 256 balls to notch up 200 runs, his second double century in Ranji Trophy cricket. His innings included 18 boundaries and a six. Last season, Juyal had smashed 201 against Assam to record his maiden double ton. The only other Uttar Pradesh batsman to score two double centuries in the Ranji Trophy is Suresh Raina, who scored 204* against Punjab in 2012 and 203 against Orissa in Cuttack in 2008.
Speaking to TOI, Juyal expressed his joy at achieving the milestone. "I am glad to hit this milestone. It's a batting-friendly wicket, and we capitalized on this opportunity," he said. When asked about his prospects of playing for India, Juyal said, "To play for India, one must deliver consistently with the bat. Wearing the Indian jersey isn't easy; consistent performance is the key."