Rajan's ten-wicket haul gives MP shot at victory

Madhya Pradesh 241 and 32 for 2 require another 178 runs to beat Jharkhand 319 and 131 (Rajan 5-44)
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Anand Rajan, Madhya Pradesh's debutant fast bowler, gave his side a good chance for victory by bundling out Jharkhand for 131 on the third day at Indore - leaving MP 210 to win on the final day. This was an impressive performance from the 20-year-old Rajan, whose five wickets completely dominated the day's play and capped a fine comeback for MP, who had earlier lost four quick wickets in the morning as Shankar Rao's medium pace ripped through the tail. Much of MP's fortunes in the run-chase will rest on Devendra Bundela, their first innings centurion, after they got off to a shaky start, losing two quick wickets towards the end of the day.

Goa 316 for 6 (Asnodkar 162*, Jakati 59*) lead Tripura 309 by 7 runs
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Swapnil Asnodkar compiled his highest first-class score as Goa surpassed Tripura's first-innings total on the third day's play at Margao, ending on 316 for 6. Asnodkar batted for a marathon 530 minutes, stroking 21 fours, and he added 117 runs for the seventh wicket with Shabad Jakati, the left-arm spinner. Eight bowlers were used by Rasudeb Datta, Tripura's captain, with only Vineet Jain's medium pace accounting for two wickets on a tough fielding day.

Rajasthan 332 and 23 for 0 trail Kerala 370 (Ramesh 118, Chandrasekhara 62, Aslam 5-87) by 15 runs
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Sadagoppan Ramesh's fine hundred and fifties from Koragappa Chandrasekhara and Suresh Kumar took Kerala to 370 in its first innings, but Rajasthan's openers had whittled that lead down to just 15 at the end of the third day at Jaipur. Ramesh's 16th first-class hundred, which was punctuated with 15 fours, set the base while Chandrasekhara and Kumar used the long handle to good effect towards the end of Kerala's innings, striking two sixes apiece. Mohammad Aslam, the left-arm spinner, was the most successful bowler for Rajasthan with 5 for 87.

Orissa 382 lead Vidharbha 271 (Fazal 79, Deshpande 70, Satpathy 5-97, Sehgal 5-81) by 111 runs
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The spin duo of Sanjay Satpathy and S Sehgal combined to dismiss Vidarbha for 271, giving Orissa a lead of 111 going into the final day of their Plate Group match at Nagpur. For Vidarbha, a fine opening stand of 117 between Faiz Fazal and Amit Deshpande made way for a frenetic collapse as Satpathy and Sehgal - who bowled 78.2 overs between them - ripped through the batting order. Orissa, whose top order came good in the first innings, now had the chance to put some quick runs on the board before letting their bowlers have another crack at Vidarbha on the final day.

Jammu & Kashmir 252 and 12 for 0 trail Assam 353 (J Arunkumar 171, Bordoloi 63) by 89 runs
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J Arunkumar's hundred was the highlight on the third day of the Plate Group match between Assam and Jammu & Kashmir at Guwahati, taking the hosts to 353 - a clinical 101-run lead - heading into the final day. His was an assertive knock, and he was ably supported by Nishantha Bordoloi in a 146-run partnership for the seventh wicket that propelled Assam past J&K's first innings total. Significantly, Vikrant Taggar and Sajjad, J&K's openers, played out 16 overs for a paltry 12 runs - an indication of what lies ahead for those planning to watch the final day's passage.