Young skipper Aryan Juyal continued his rich vein of form to smash an unbeaten hundred, while Rinku Singh returned with a brisk half-century as Uttar Pradesh reached 267/6 in reply to Haryana's 453 in their Ranji Trophy Group C match in Lucknow on Sunday (October 20).

Rinku slammed 89 off 110 balls with 10 boundaries and three sixes. He was particularly severe on Yuzvendra Chahal, hitting the leg-spinner for 25 runs off 20 balls.

Juyal, who missed a century by eight runs in their Ranji Trophy opener against Bengal, notched up his fourth first class hundred and remained unbeaten on 118 from 196 balls (13x4, 1x6) as UP reduced the deficit to 186 runs at the close of play on Day 3.

While Chahal had a forgettable day as he conceded 57 runs in 11 overs and failed to claim a wicket, Aman Kumar, Harshal Patel and Jayant Yadav bagged two scalps each for Haryana.

At Mullanpur, opener Jaskaranvir Singh Paul starred with the bat, scoring 115* on debut to put Punjab in a commanding position against Madhya Pradesh.

Building on their first innings lead of 70 runs, Punjab posted 265/3 at stumps on Day 3, extending their overall lead to 335 runs.

Jaskaranvir's patient 293-ball knock was instrumental in keeping MP's attack -- comprising Avesh Khan, Kumar Kartikeya, and Kulwant Khejroliya -- at bay.

He stitched a solid 109-run opening partnership with Abhay Choudhary (46 off 129 balls) before two wickets fell in quick succession. Anmolpreet Singh then provided valuable support with a brisk 72 off 108 balls, helping Punjab fortify their position in the match.

Brief Scores

In Lucknow: Haryana 453; 191.2 overs (Himanshu Rana 114, Dheeru Singh 103, Ankit Kumar 77, Sumit Kumar 61, Yuzvendra Chahal 48; Shivam Sharma 4/95, Vipraj Nigam 3/129, Yash Dayal 2/56). Uttar Pradesh 267/6; 70 overs (Aryan Juyal 118 batting, Rinku Singh 89).

In Mullanpur: Punjab 277 and 265/3; 90 overs (Jaskaranvir Singh Paul 115 batting, Anmolpreet Singh 72, Abhay Choudhary 46). Madhya Pradesh 207.

(With PTI Inputs)