The first day of the Ranji Trophy match between Tripura and Railways saw a dramatic turn of events with 17 wickets falling. Playing against Railways at the MBB Stadium, the host found themselves on the back foot early on due to the failure of their batsmen. However, the bowlers stepped up and brought Tripura back into the game by the end of the day.
Tripura scored 149 runs in 52.1 overs. Sridam Pal was the top scorer for the team with 71 runs off 124 balls, including 11 boundaries. Despite losing opener Babul Dey (0) early, Sridam Pal and Bikram Kumar Das put up a strong resistance, adding 56 runs for the second wicket. After Bikram’s dismissal for 19 runs, Tripura lost wickets in quick succession. Apart from Pal and Das, only Ajay Sarkar (12) could reach double figure. Yuvraj Singh (4/53), Himanshu Sangwan (3/49) and Akash Pandey (2/15) were the wicket-takers for Railways.
In response, Railways ended the day at 72/7 in 26 overs. Arindam Ghosh remained unbeaten on 30 runs off 66 balls, including four boundaries. Akash Pandey (1) is another not out batsman. Manishankar Murasingh (3/18) and Bikram Debnath (2/6) were the pick of the bowlers for Tripura.
The match is poised interestingly with Tripura aiming to quickly wrap up the remaining three wickets of Railways on the second day and then put up a big score in the second innings. The nature of the match, with 17 wickets falling on the first day, suggests that the last match of the season will be closely contested. The focus will be on how Tripura’s bowlers perform on the second day and whether they can restrict Railways to a low score.
Brief scores:
Tripura: 149 all out in 52.1 overs (Shridam Pal 71, Abhijit Sarkar 12; Yuvraj Singh 4/53, Himanshu Sangwan 3/49).
Railways: 72 for 7 in 26 overs (Arindam Ghosh 30 not out, Pratik Singh 20; Manishankar Murasingh 3/18, Bikram Debnath 2/6).