Guwahati/Valsad: Medium pacer Arup Das wreaked havoc with figures of eight for 83 as unfancied Assam continued their giant-killing spree in the Ranji Trophy, defeating Punjab by 51 runs to enter the semi-finals on Saturday.
Needing 288 for victory, Punjab were precariously placed at 224 for eight on Friday, needing 64 runs to win with just two wickets in hand. They were finally all out for 236.
The penultimate day’s play lasted barely 20 minutes as Assam got the final two wickets in 3.2 overs with the addition of only 12 runs.
First it was Geetansh Khera (35), who got a delivery from Arup that moved in a shade to trap him in front in the very second over of the day. In his next over, Arup brought joy to the Assam camp as Deepak Bansal was also trapped in front. Punjab’s second innings lasted only 63.2 overs.
Even though Assam were skittled out for 101 in their second innings, they did well enough to get a huge first innings lead of 186 runs which enabled them to set a defendable target.
Man of the Match Arup was over the moon after the victory. “There is no looking back from here. We have to win the title now,” Arup, who finished with 11 wickets, said, reflecting the spirit of the Assam team who made their maiden entry into the Ranji Trophy semi-finals in Valsad.
The 24-year-old medium pacer from Barpeta was brimming with confidence when The Telegraph spoke to him after Assam defeated formidable Punjab. The win helped them set up a semi-final clash with Saurashtra in Baroda from February 13.
Arup returned with a career-best haul of eight for 83 from 21.3 overs in the second innings. His match haul of 11 for 124 fashioned the maiden quarter final victory for the North East state. Assam, who had earlier figured in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final in 2013, have become the first North East state to make it to the Ranji Trophy semis. Tripura are the only other state from the region to feature in Ranji Trophy.
“The ground in Valsad helped the pace bowlers. It is an open ground with good breeze and that helped me get the right amount of swing. Besides, all our bowlers were splendid in this match,” Arup, who scalped his 100th first-class wicket from 33 matches with his third dismissal in the first innings, said.
“All we need to focus now is on batting, and I am sure, we will then definitely make it to the final,” he added.
Skipper Gokul Sharma was all praise for the players. “It was splendid batting by Syed Mohammad who came it at No. 7 and helped us put up a challenging total. It was indeed the turning point of the match. The bowlers, especially Arup, also bowled quite well,” he said.
Coach Sanath Kumar was also equally elated but maintained his cool. “Our mantra has always been the same. Take one match at a time and enjoy it. The boys enjoyed this match thoroughly. There is nothing to lose from here. We will definitely be through to the final now,” he said.
“Every single player contributed to the victory. The bowlers bowled with precision, there was some superb keeping by KB (Arun Karthick) and catches, especially by Gokul and Pallav Das. Syed and Amit Verma put up a great batting show,” Sanath added.
The feat triggered celebrations at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, the new hub of cricket in Assam. The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) officials basked in the glory when the news of the victory poured in on Saturday afternoon. ACA president Gautam Roy and its office-bearers wished the team for the historic victory.
“It is due to sincere and collective effort of the players as well as the support staff… We will reward the team in a befitting manner,” Roy said. Unlike earlier occasions, he did not announce any cash reward apparently due to the financial crunch in the ACA.”
