Excelsior Sports Correspondent
GUWAHATI, Dec 2: Promising all-rounder Parvez Rasool took his career-best 7 wickets and helped the youth brigade of Jammu and Kashmir to gain a substantial lead of 158 runs over formidable Assam, the table-toppers in Ranji trophy Group-C so far in the season at Nehru Stadium, here today.
Earlier, resuming from an over-night score of 240/7, debutants Obaid Haroon and Wasim Raza played sensibly and displayed grit and guts to make a partnership of 54 runs, taking the score to 285 runs before falling in quick succession. Haroon scored a debut half-century (52) off 202 balls with 8 boundaries and showed how the longer version of the game is to be played, while Raza scored 40 runs including 7 delectable boundaries. Then, gutsy Sahil Sharma (18*) and calm Mohd Muddasir made a last wicket partnership of 38 runs to take the score to respectable total of 323 runs in 109.1 overs, to give their bowlers a decent total to bowl on what looked like to be a batting strip.
In reply, Assam were bundled-out for a paltry total of 165 runs in 64.3 overs, courtesy-magical spell of 23 overs by off-spinner Parvez Rasool coupled with some brilliant fielding effort by the entire team, especially Ram Dayal Punia, who took two brilliant catches at short covers to get rid of dangerous looking Dheeraj Jadhav and IPL player Syed Mohd. Wasim Raza grabbed a blinder at point to plot dismissal of Pritam Das after the bowling of Parvez Rasool. The whole Assam side managed to score 165 runs to trail by a big margin of 158 runs. Dheeraj Jadhav was the top scorer with 69 runs, studded with 11 crispy boundaries, while Pallay Das, Sibsankar Roy and Abu Nechim Ahmed contributed 28, 25 and 17 runs to the total respectively.
Earlier, Assam openers Pallay Das and consistent Dheeraj Jadhav began the innings cautiously and made a partnership of 55 runs, before speedster Mohd Muddasir dismissed former at his individual score of 28 runs on a beautiful out-swinger to be caught by Obaid Haroon behind the stumps. Then, it was Parvez all the way, who bowled with a nagging line and teasing length and made the ball to spin, drift and bounce to create havoc for the rival batsmen, who failed to negotiate him and succumbed under pressure to be bundled out for a meagre total of 165 runs. Dheeraj Jadhav was the top scorer for Assam with 69 runs including 11 crispy boundaries, while Pallay Das, Sibsankar Roy and Abu Nechim contributed 28, 25 and 17 runs to the total respectively. For J&K, off-spinner Parvez Rasool was the wrecker-in-chief, who had a 7-wicket haul, while Ram Dayal, Mohd Muddasir and Manik Gupta claimed one wicket each.
J&K were 1/0 with openers Adil Reshi (1) and skipper Ian Dev Singh yet to open his account at the draw of stumps on day-2 today.
Though, the match has still a long way to go with two full days left in the match, yet the young brigade of Jammu and Kashmir is in the driver’s seat at this juncture.
Meanwhile, the players of Jammu and Kashmir have attributed the good performance to sheer-dint of hard-work by the chief coach Bishen Singh Bedi and his support staff including coach Abdul Qyoom, managed Shiban Lal, joint manager Rajesh Dhar, trainer Pawan Sharma and physiotherapist Asif, who all worked as a cohesive unit to see the boys sparkle.
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