Punjab skipper Vikram Rathour led from the front as they posted a mammoth 526 for 7 declared against Himachal Pradesh at the Indira Stadium at Una. Resuming on a healthy 321 for 1, the Punjab side put the Himachal attack to the sword. Batting at one drop, Reetinder Singh Sodhi too joined the party. Although he lost his skipper with the score on 385, he soldiered on singlehandedly.

Rathour meanwhile had begun the Ranji season in exemplary fashion with a stroke-filled 203. His innings paved the way for Punjab and was dotted with twenty five hits to the fence. Keen to make an impression, Reetinder Singh Sodhi helped himself to a comfortable unbeaten 125. Although the middle order lost its way a bit, hundreds at the top of the innings, Ravneet Ricky (113), Vikram Rathour (203) and Reetinder Singh Sodhi (125) saw them post a challenging score.

In response, Himachal Pradesh began badly, losing their first wicket without any runs being scored. Rahul Panta was snared by Ravneet Ricky off the bowling of Sodhi. The pairing was in action again when they combined to get rid of the other opener - Nishchal Gaur. Rajiv Nayyar, at his patient best, was unbeaten on 23 when the day ended. In the mean time, Ranji veteran Ajay Sharma, now playing for Himachal Pradesh managed just four before he was caught behind off Sodhi. With an unbeaten 125 while batting and 3/23 with the ball, the day clearly belonged to Sodhi. Himachal Pradesh ended the day on 75/3 and tomorrow could prove to be a crucial phase in this encounter.

© CricInfo Ltd