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Mayank Agarwal fifty puts Karnataka 45 ahead of Assam at stumps in Guwahati
After bowling Assam out for 135, Karnataka raced to 180 for 2 by the close of the first day, with Mayank Agarwal unbeaten on 57 after an opening stand of 129.
Key points
- Karnataka reached 180 for 2 in 36 overs, a lead of 45, at stumps on day one.
- Mayank Agarwal was unbeaten on 57 off 95 balls with seven fours.
- The openers put on 129 for the first wicket before Rohan Patil fell.
Karnataka took a firm grip on their Ranji Trophy match against Assam on Monday, closing the first day in Guwahati on 180 for 2, already 45 runs ahead, after bowling the hosts out for 135 earlier in the day.
Assam had chosen to bat at Barsapara but lasted only 48.1 overs. Karnataka’s reply was everything theirs was not. The openers, Mayank Agarwal and Rohan Patil, put on 129 for the first wicket at around five runs an over and took the sting out of the Assam attack.
Patil fell in the 25th over, and KL Shrijith was lbw to Amlanjyoti Das for a brisk 19 off 16 balls four overs later, at 157. That was as good as it got for Assam. Agarwal and KV Aneesh saw Karnataka through to the close without further loss, though the scoring slowed sharply late in the day, with only seven runs coming from the last five overs.
Agarwal finished unbeaten on 57 off 95 balls, with seven fours, and Aneesh was 7 not out. Assam’s bowlers struggled for control: Mohit Thakur went for 39 in eight overs and Roshan Alam for 32 in six, both without a wicket.
With eight wickets in hand and three days left, Karnataka will look to build a big first-innings lead on Tuesday. The match runs until Thursday.