NEW DELHI: Mandeep Singh remained unbeaten on a majestic 130, while wicketkeeper-batter Anmol Malhotra also slammed a century as Punjab recovered from a poor start to post 368 for 5 against Haryana on day one of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group F match on Thursday.
Put in to bat, Punjab lost their opener Prabhsimran Singh for a golden duck, while skipper Abhishek Sharma (24) also failed to convert his start.
The 30-year-old Mandeep then took charge of the proceedings en route to his 14th first-class century.
The Punjab veteran shared two fifty-plus stands with Anmolpreet Singh and Gurkeerat Singh Mann (48) but wickets kept falling at the other end.
But No. 6 Malhotra (100 from 128 balls; 14x4, 2x6) gave Mandeep a fine support as the duo stitched together 163 runs to take them past the 300-run mark.
Malhotra got out in the final session after completing his century but Mandeep held firm.
Mandeep struck 13 fours and two sixes during his 222-ball stay.
Brief Scores:
At Palam A Ground: Himachal Pradesh 304 for 6 in 90 overs (Ankit Kalsi 114 batting, Raghav Dhawan 68, Akash Vasisht 43; Amit Ali 2/65) vs Tripura.
At Arun Jaitley Stadium: Punjab 368 for 5 in 88 overs (Mandeep Singh 130 batting, Anmol Malhotra 100, Gurkeerat Singh Mann 48; Ajit Chahal 2/55, Anshul Kamboj 2/83).
