Shankar, Vihari tons put Tripura in command; Bengal pacer Jaiswal rattles Railways

Agartala, Nov 9 (PTI) Former India batter Vijay Shankar struck a career-best 150 not out at No. 7 to complement Hanuma Vihari's fine 156 as Tripura piled up a mammoth total to seize control of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Assam, here on Sunday.

Shankar, who switched allegiance from Tamil Nadu to Tripura this season, batted with authority in his first major knock for his new team.

He remained unbeaten on 150 off 143 balls, studded with 14 fours and four sixes, as the hosts declared at 602 for seven.

In reply, Assam were 67 for four at stumps on day two, still trailing by 535 runs with six wickets intact. Pacer Abhijit Sarkar impressed for Tripura with figures of 2/10.

Earlier, Tripura resumed the day at 316 for four with Vihari unbeaten on 143 overnight. He converted his innings into a fluent 156 (228 balls, 18x4, 2x6) before being dismissed.

Wicketkeeper-batter Sentu Sarkar also notched up a fighting 51 off 98 balls (8x4) to keep the runs flowing.

Shankar later took charge alongside skipper Manisankar Murasingh in an entertaining 87-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Murasingh chipped in with a brisk 52 from 54 balls (3x4, 3x6) as Tripura's lower order continued to dominate.

For Assam, Darshan Rajbongshi (3/83) was the pick of the bowlers, while Ayushman Malakar (2/106) provided support. Left-arm spinner Rahul Singh toiled for 40 overs for a solitary wicket.

Majumdar, Gupta tons lift Bengal ================== In Surat, Bengal pacer Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal produced a fiery spell of 4/17 to leave Railways reeling at 97 for five in reply to Bengal’s formidable 474, brightening the visitors' prospects for a third outright win this season.

Railways still trail by 377 runs with half their side back in the pavilion and two days remaining.

The platform was set by Bengal's Anustup Majumdar (135) and Sumanta Gupta (120), who powered the side to a commanding first-innings total.

Gupta's effort was his maiden first-class century, and the duo's partnership helped Bengal recover strongly after resuming the day at 273 for five.

Majumdar's 182-ball knock included 15 fours, while Gupta struck 15 boundaries and two sixes during his 153-ball stay. Later, contributions from Vishal Bhati (36) and Rahul Prasad (40 not out) ensured Bengal crossed the 470-mark.

In reply, Jaiswal struck with the second ball of the innings to remove Zubair Ali for a duck, before dismissing Vivek Singh, Mohammad Saif and skipper Pratham Singh (11) in quick succession to leave Railways tottering at 16 for four.

Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, who earlier scored 86 with the bat, got the fifth wicket by dismissing Suraj Ahuja late in the day.

Gujarat, Services evenly poised ====================== At Nadiad, the match between Gujarat and Services hung in balance as the hosts reached 171 for four in reply to Services' 248 all out, still 77 runs behind.

Resuming at 203 for eight, the Services tail frustrated Gujarat with a valuable 30-run ninth-wicket stand between Arjun Sharma (20) and Amit Shukla (25 not out). Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai (5/74) completed a fine five-wicket haul to wrap up the innings.

In response, Gujarat's openers Abhishek Desai and Aarya Desai began watchfully before wickets tumbled in quick succession. At stumps, Kshitij Patel (18 batting) and Urvil Patel (37 batting) steadied the innings with an unbeaten stand.

Uttarakhand in control ================ In Rohtak, Haryana were struggling at 105 for six in their second innings, still trailing 71 runs, after conceding a big lead to Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand earlier posted 288 in reply to Haryana’s 112, riding on contributions from Yuvraj Chaudhary (60) and J Suchith (50). For Haryana, Parth Vats (3/60) and Nikhil Kashyap (3/67) shared six wickets.

At close, Dheeru Singh (31 batting) was fighting a lone battle for Haryana, while Suchith continued to impress with the ball, returning 3/30 in his second innings spell.

Brief Scores: In Agartala: Tripura 602/7 declared; 143 overs (Hanuma Vihari 156, Vijay Shankar 150 not out, Sentu Sarkar 94, Manisankar Murasingh 52; Darshan Rajbongshi 3/83). Assam 67/4; 23 overs (Abhijit Sarkar 2/10).

In Surat: Bengal 474; 129.3 overs (Anustup Majumdar 135, Sumanta Gupta 120, Shahbaz Ahmed 86, Rahul Prasad 40 not out; Kunal Yadav 4/98). Railways 97/5; 38 overs (Bhargav Merai 37 batting, Upendra Yadav 20 batting; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 4/17).

In Nadiad: Services 248; 115 overs (Rajat Paliwal 36; Siddharth Desai 5/74). Gujarat 171/4; 57 overs (Abhishek Desai 44; Amit Shukla 2/54).

In Rohtak: Haryana 112 and 105/6; 44 overs (Dheeru Singh 31 batting; J Suchith 3/30). Uttarakhand 288; 94.3 overs (Yuvraj Chaudhary 60, J Suchith 50; Parth Vats 3/60, Nikhil Kashyap 3/67). PTI TAP DDV