Rasool stars as J&K make Ranji Trophy history

Parvez Rasool led from the front with a superb all-round show as Jammu and Kashmir created history by entering the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy for the first time after drawing their Group C match against Tripura, in Agartala, on Thursday.

J & K were 87 for 2 in 25 overs, chasing 228 for victory, before the match was called off on the fourth and final day. They bagged three points after securing the first innings lead which helped them pip Goa on the quotient.

Goa beat Andhra by eight wickets.

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If Goa had beaten Andhra by 10 wickets they would have claimed the additional bonus point which would have ensured their qualification to the last eight from Group C.

Rasool was the top scorer for J&K with 83, lifting them to 325, which secured the crucial first innings.

He then destroyed Tripura with the ball, claiming seven for 87 as the hosts were bowled out for 272.

Chasing 228 for an unlikely victory, J&K had a few nervy moments after losing two early wickets, but Rasool again came to the party with a quickfire 35 not out from 27 balls to take his team to safety.

Table toppers Maharastra, with 35 points, and J&K qualified for the quarter-finals from Group C. They joined Karnataka, Punjab and Mumbai from Group A along with Railways, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh from Group B.

Maharashta beat Assam by 128 runs to make quarters

Guwahati: Maharashtra qualified for the quarter-finals after notching an emphatic 128-run victory over Assam on the final day of their Group 'C' match.

Maharashtra ended their Ranji Trophy group league engagements as table toppers with 35 points from eight games.

Chasing 344 for victory, Assam required another 250 runs on the fourth day with six wickets remaining. However, the hosts could score 215 in their second innings, with left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar picking four for 84 and medium pacer Shrikant Mundhe finishing with two for 28.

This was Maharashtra's fourth outright victory this season.

Starting the day at 94 for 4, overnight batsman Gokul Sharma (3) could add only one run to his individual score before being caught by wicketkeeper Rohit Motwani off Mundhe.

Syed Mohammad (11) too departed in quick succession, caught and bowled by Darekar.

Kunal Saikia and other overnight batsman Dheeraj Jadhav batted cautiously to raise a 52-run partnership for the seventh wicket before Darekar returned to send back the former for 32.

Jadhav, starting on 37, however, went on to complete his half-century even as wickets kept tumbling at the other end.

Jadhav departed after making a fighting 193-ball 61, laced with five fours.

Assam skipper Abu Nechim Ahmed played an attacking cameo of 46 towards the end but it was too late for the hosts.

Brief scores:

Maharashtra: 361 and 134

Assam: 152 and 215 in 72.4 overs (Dheeraj Jadhav 61, Abu Nechim Ahmed 46; Akshay Darekar 4-84).

Image: Parvez Rasool

Photograph: Umar Ganie