Guwahati, Nov 2 (PTI) Openers Rohan Patil and Mayank Agarwal made contrasting fifties after bowlers tore through Assam line-up to give Karnataka early command on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match here on Monday.
Patil made a swift 89 off 87 balls (13×4, 1×6) while Agarwal was more patient during his unbeaten 57 (95b) during their 129-run alliance in 24.3 overs.
It helped Karnataka cruise to 180 for two in 36 overs when stumps were drawn slightly early because of poor light.
KV Aneesh (7) was giving company to Agarwal, and the visitors now lead by 45 runs after bundling out Assam for 135 in their first innings.
Patil, who is quickly establishing him as a reliable opener for the state, reached his fifty in 43 balls with a boundary off spinner Sarupam Purkayastha.
In fact, his first 50 contained a stunning 11 fours.
It was the 25-year-old left-hander’s second fifty in as many innings after a 72 against Tripura at Mysuru.
Patil and Mayank, who brought up his fifty in a more sedate manner in 76 balls with a boundary off off-spinner Amlanjyoti Das, carried Karnataka past Assam’s feeble first-innings total.
However, Karnataka lost Patil and wicketkeeper batter KL Shrijith in quick succession but Agarwal and Aneesh negated the remaining eight overs of the day without much trouble.
Earlier, Karnataka’s spin duo of Ritesh Bhatkal and Shikhar Shetty shared all 10 Assam wickets among them to bowl out the hosts cheaply.
Off-spinner Bhatkal took five wickets conceding 35 runs, and left-arm orthodox spinner Shetty grabbed five wickets while giving away 53 runs.
Sibsankar Roy was Assam’s top-scorer with 37 off 66 balls before getting cleaned up by Bhatkal.
Karnataka are currently fourth on the Group D table with 9 points from three games, and Assam are placed a spot below with seven points.
Brief scores
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At Guwahati: Tripura: 135 all out in 48.1 overs (Sibsankar Roy 37; Ritesh Bhatkal 5/35, Shikhar Shetty 5/53) vs Karnataka: 180/2 in 36 overs (Rohan Patil 89, Mayank Agarwal 57 batting).
At Agartala: Tripura: 219/7 in 74.3 overs (Sridam Paul 86, Sentu Sarkar 46; Parth Bhut 3/52) vs Saurashtra.
At Mullanpur: Punjab: 276/5 in 80 overs (Salil Arora 111 batting, Sanvir Singh 100 batting; K Saiteja 3/65) vs Andhra.
At Secunderabad: Chhattisgarh: 279/7 in 87 overs (Anuj Tiwary 72, Vikalp Tiwari 69; Rakshan Readdi 2/34) vs Hyderabad. PTI UNG AH
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