Assam defeat Tripura to earn a bonus point

Kolkata: Dheeraj Jadhav struck an unbeaten 75 to guide Assam to an eight-wicket win with a bonus point against Tripura, in the East Zone leg of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, on Monday.

Put into bat, Tripura were skittled out for a paltry 180 at the Jadavpur University (second campus) ground. Two half-centuries from the opening duo of Jadhav (75 not out from 111 balls, 6x4) and Pallav Das (52 from 77 balls; 6x4) helped Assam chase the target in 38 overs, ensuring five points. Medium pacer Arup Das scalped the top three Tripura wickets, including a twin strike in the 12th over to reduce them to 61 for four. Tripura could not recover from the early blow, even as skipper Vinayak Samant played a defiant 56-ball 45 (1x4) to be bundled out in 48.3 overs. Sujay Tarafdar (2/26) and Tarjinder Singh (2/29) also excelled for Assam in the bowling. Brief Scores: Tripura 180 in 48.3 overs (Vinayak Samant 45; Arup Das 3/31) lost to Assam 181/2 in 38 overs (Dheeraj Jadhav 75 not out, Pallav Das 52) by 8 wickets. Points: Assam 5, Tripura -1 PTI