Ranji Trophy: Vidarbha in command against Assam

Vidarbha has reduced Assam to 98 for 3 at the end of the third day to be ahead by 318 runs in the Ranji Trophy Group 'B' match.

Published : Oct 22, 2016 20:38 IST , Thiruvananthapuram

Swarupam Purkayastha (second from right) was the most successful bowler for Assam; he took five for 133.
Swarupam Purkayastha (second from right) was the most successful bowler for Assam; he took five for 133.
lightbox-info

Swarupam Purkayastha (second from right) was the most successful bowler for Assam; he took five for 133.

Assam frittered away a good start to allow Vidarbha to nose ahead at the end of the third day’s play at the St.Xavier’s College ground here on Saturday.

>Scorecard

Mid-innings collapses had been a problem for Assam this season and against Vidarbha it slid from 66 for no loss to 88 for three.

Opener Pallavkumar Das, who looked assured during his stay at the crease, flicked straight to Fazal at midwicket off Ravikumar Thakur. Off-spinner Akshay Wakhare lured Rahul Hazarika to edge to slips and trapped Amit Verma in front with a ball that kept low.

Earlier, Sarupam Purkayastha, exploiting the spinner-friendly track, took five for 133 to prevent Vidarbha from posting a huge total. The innings eventually ended at 416.

Ganesh Satish completed his century in the morning but was trapped in front by Arup Das for 102. Ravi Jangid left soon after completing his fifty as he missed a cut while playing back to spinner Sarupam. However, Jithesh Sharma and Sarwate figured in a half-century stand for the sixth wicket. The duo mixed caution with aggression and Jithesh was more adventurous as he repeatedly stepped out to loft spinners over the infield. Jithesh’s run-out through a direct hit from Tarjinder ended the enterprising stand and Vidarbha lost the last five wickets for 56 runs.

'Good position'

Vidarbha coach Paras Mhambrey was happy with the position his team was in. Ruling out the prospects of an outright win, Mhambrey said he team was looking for three points by taking the first innings lead.

"We could have put a little more runs on the board. But we lost far too many wickets before lunch. We are in a good position. Honestly with so much time lost we will be happy with three points," he said.

Other matches (Group B):

> Delhi v Karnataka

> Maharashtra v Saurashtra

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment