Tripura team put up a strong performance on the first day of the Ranji Trophy match against Goa on Friday, despite losing their openers early.
They reached 261 for 4 at stumps, thanks to two vital partnerships and a century from Sridam Pal.
Sridam Pal scored 112 runs off 162 balls, hitting 15 fours and a six. He was well supported by Ganesh Satish, who remained unbeaten on 59. Skipper Wriddhiman Saha was also not out on 19 at stamps.
Sources close to the Tripura team said that they could have been in a better position if Pal had not fallen towards the end of the day.
The State team aims to pile up more runs on the second day and put pressure on the hosts. Satish and Saha will have to bat sensibly on Saturday morning and survive the first hour.
The match started late at the MBB Stadium in Agartala today due to dense fog. Goa captain Darshan Mishal won the toss and opted to field, hoping to exploit the weather conditions.
Tripura lost Bishal Ghosh (10) and Bikram Kumar Das (7) cheaply and were reduced to 21 for 2.
Sudip Chatterjee then joined Pal and the duo added 69 runs for the third wicket in 111 balls. Chatterjee scored 42 runs with seven boundaries in 65 balls before he was dismissed.
Satish then partnered with Pal and the pair put on 146 runs in 215 balls to steady the innings. Pal reached his hundred in 154 balls and while tring to accelerate, but he lost his wicket.
Tripura batted for 74 overs on the first day and scored at a rate of 3.53 runs per over. Lakshay E Garg was the most successful bowler for Goa, taking 2 wickets for 38 runs.