KV Aneesh made 145 and Manvanth Kumar an unbeaten 100 as Karnataka declared on 577 for 6 and beat Assam by an innings and 314 runs in Guwahati. Shreyas Gopal and Shikhar Shetty finished the job on day three, with more than a day to spare.
Guwahati, India: Assam won the toss, chose to bat at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium and were bowled out inside 49 overs. It set the tone for a Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match that Karnataka controlled until the last wicket fell on Wednesday.
Bhatkal and Shetty split the wickets
Assam were dismissed for 135 in 48.1 overs. Rithesh Bhatkal took 5 for 35 from 18 overs, and Shikhar Shetty took 5 for 53 from 17.1. Sibsankar Roy top-scored with 37 off 66 balls, and Denish Das made 26.
Aneesh and Manvanth pile on the runs
Karnataka answered with 577 for 6 in 133.2 overs. KV Aneesh made 145 off 254 balls and was named player of the match, and RA Patil added a rapid 89 off 87. Roshan Alam took 3 for 176 in 34 overs and Amlanjyoti Das took 2 for 132 in 38, but Assam could not slow the scoring.
Karnataka resumed on day three at 496 for 5, and Manvanth began the morning on 53. He reached 100 off 108 balls with eight fours and five sixes, completing the hundred with a single off Amlanjyoti Das. Karnataka then declared, a lead of 442.
Gopal and Shetty close it out
Assam needed a miracle and never found one. They were bowled out for 128 in 40.2 overs. Denish Das made 50 off 74 balls, the only half-century of their innings. Leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal took 4 for 39 from 12 overs and Shetty took 3 for 28 from 15.1, giving him eight wickets in the match.
The result lifted Karnataka to the top of Elite Group B with 16 points. For Assam, it was a heavy reverse after the nine-wicket win over Tripura in Guwahati earlier this month.
Result, Ranji Trophy Elite Group B, Guwahati: Karnataka 577/6 declared (KV Aneesh 145, Manvanth Kumar 100*, RA Patil 89) beat Assam 135 (Rithesh Bhatkal 5-35, Shikhar Shetty 5-53) and 128 (Shreyas Gopal 4-39, Shikhar Shetty 3-28) by an innings and 314 runs. Player of the match: KV Aneesh.
