GUWAHATI, Dec 31 � Host Assam suffered a heavy one innings and 133-run defeat at the hands of Himachal Pradesh in their Group C Ranji Trophy match.
On the final day of the four-day encounter at the Barsapara stadium here today, being forced to follow on and requiring 331 to bat the opponent, Assam were skittled for 198 in 79.5 overs.
Barring Tarjinder Singh (90 not out off 212 balls), no other Assam batsman could handle the hot stuffs of Himachal bowlers. Medium pacer Rishi Dhawan brought the live from the �dead� Barsapara wicket and returned with a rich five-wicket haul. Vikramjeet Malik drew the first blood trapping skipper Dheeraj Jadhav in the seventh over. It triggered Assam�s downfall and wickets started tumbling at regular interval.
Tarjinder, coming at number six, played cautiously and stayed at the crease for 279 minutes. He hit 13 boundaries. Sarupam tried to provide him support and the pair added 43 runs for the seventh wicket. Spinner Ankush Bedi pulled out two wickets along with medium pacer Malik. Bipul Sharma was the other successful bowler with one victim.
SCORECARD
Himachal Pradesh 1st innings: 549/4 decl.
Assam 1st innings: 218.
Assam 2nd innings: (following on) Pallav Das b Dhawan 5, Dheeraj Jadhav lbw b Malik 4, Sib Sankar Roy b Bedi 20, Arun Karthik lbw b Dhawan 0, Gakul Sharma b Dhawan 10, Tarjinder Singh not out 90, J Syed Mohammad lbw b Bedi 0, Sarupam Purkayastha c Gangta b Dhawan 24, Kunal Saikia c Karanveer Singh b Malik 4, Abu Nechim Ahmed b Bipul Sharma 0, Krishna Das b Dhawan 8. Extras: (b 14, lb 11, w 2, nb 6) 33. Total (all out; 79.5 overs) 198. Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-10, 3-10, 4-28, 5-78, 6-78, 7-121, 8-154, 9-167, 10-198. Bowling: VS Malik 14-7-23-2, Rishi Dhawan 26.5-8-53-5, AP Vasisht 5-1-15-0, Karanveer Singh 15-6-37-0, Bipul Sharma 11-7-14-1, AS Bedi 8-3-31-2.
