Services beat Assam inside four sessions at Tinsukia on Sunday, completing the shortest finished match in Ranji Trophy history. Only 540 balls were needed – seven fewer than the Delhi-Railways game of 1961-62 – for 32 wickets to tumble and a mere 359 runs to be scored.
Arjun Sharma and Mohit Jangra provided the headline moment, each taking a hat-trick in Assam’s second innings. It is the first time two bowlers have managed that feat in the same Ranji innings since the competition began in 1934.
Day one: Assam chose to bat and were hustled out for 103 in 17.2 overs. Pradyun Saikia’s brisk 52 could not cover for a collapse that saw nine wickets fall for 44. Jangra’s left-arm seam opened the damage with 3 for 39.
Services replied with 108. Riyan Parag, opening the bowling for Assam, claimed a career-best 5 for 25. “I just tried to hit the top of off and let the pitch do the rest,” he told local reporters. Rahul Singh backed him up with 4 for 44.
Day two morning: Assam’s second innings lasted 29.3 overs and produced 75. Sharma, the left-arm spinner, returned 4 for 20, while Jangra’s late burst of 3 for 10 included his hat-trick. “The ball was gripping, so I kept it simple,” Sharma said. Amit Shukla, operating brisk medium-pace, chipped in with 3 for 6 from six miserly overs.
Chasing 71, Services knocked them off in 13.5 overs for the loss of two wickets, sealing victory before tea on day two. Substitute fielder-turned-opener Lakhan Singh finished unbeaten on 34.
The match was Tinsukia’s first Ranji fixture since 2001. The surface offered pace, carry and, as it wore, sharp turn; neither batting line-up came to terms with it for long. “We expected some help early on but not this much throughout,” Assam coach Trevor Gonsalves admitted.
Services, with two wins from two, lead Elite Group C on 13 points. Assam sit fifth with one point and an urgent need for batting solidity before their next outing.
Key numbers
• Overs bowled: 90 (540 balls) – shortest finished Ranji match.
• Runs: 359; wickets: 32 – an average of 11.22 runs per wicket.
• Two hat-tricks in one innings – first time in Ranji history.
A game that began with hope for home supporters ended in less than two days, yet it will enter the record books for time, wickets and a pair of rare hat-tricks.
