Karnataka began their 2017 Ranji Trophy campaign with a bang without their big guns like Manish Pandey and KL Rahul, defeating Assam by an innings and 121 runs in the Group A match. With this win, Karnataka are placed second in the points table with seven points, next to Delhi who have 10 from two matches.
Sent into bat, Assam were skittled out for 145 in their first innings. In reply, Karnataka declared their first innings at 469 for seven, riding high on centuries by Ravikumar Samarth and Krishnappa Gowtham. Assam did not have answers to the bowling attack of the hosts led by Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal in the first innings and Vinay Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Gowtham in the second.
The Assam innings folded for 203, giving Karnataka their first win of their season's opener.
Gowtham hogged the limelight both with bat and ball. He cracked a match-winning 149 in the first innings and then bagged seven wickets, four of them coming in the first innings.
Skipper Vinay Kumar, eyeing a comeback into the Indian squad, scalped six wickets, four of them in the second innings.
Karnataka were on the cusp of an outright win on Monday itself after restricting Assam to 169 for 6 as the third day's play was stopped due to poor light nearing close of play.
Requiring 155 runs to avoid an innings defeat, unbeaten Assam batsmen - skipper Gokul Sharma and Abu Nechim - resumed their second innings on the fourth and final day's play.
Assam lost the remaining four wickets after adding just 34 runs to their overnight score.
Sharma, who made his second fifty of the match, added another four runs to his overnight 62 not out, before he was cleaned up by Vinay Kumar for 66.
Nechim (17), Wasiur Rahman (3) fell to Mithun. Last man in Rahul (4) fell to Vinay. Arup Das remained unbeaten at 7.
Mithun bagged three wickets for 47 after going wicketless in the first innings.
Karnataka will play their second match against Hyderabad at Shivamogga from October 24 to October 27.
Scores: Assam 145 all out (Gokul Sharma 55, Krishnappa Goutham 4 for 20; Shreyas Gopal 3 for 43, Vinay Kumar 2 for 17)
Karnataka first innings: 469 for 7 declared (Ravikumar Samarth 123, K Goutham 149, Gopal 50; Arup Das 4 for 113; Swaroopam Purkayastha 3 for 80.
Assam 2nd innings; 203 all out (Abhimanyu Mithun 3 for 47, Vinay Kumar 4 for 31, Goutham 3 for 39, Gopal Sharma 66)
Karnataka won by an innings and 121 runs.
