Assam: Ranji Trophy Match concludes as Hazarika's Century Prevents Kerala from Securing Victory

ASSAM: The Kerala-Assam Ranji Trophy match at the ACA Stadium ended in a draw after an intense battle, as Rahul Hazarika's exceptional century prevented Kerala from achieving victory. The final day offered excellent conditions for batting and proved to be advantageous for both teams, making it difficult for Kerala to clinch a clear win.

In the morning session, Kerala quickly ended Assam's first innings by dismissing them for 248. Although they had started the day at 231-7, Kerala managed to take control of the game with a considerable lead. Therefore, in hopes of taking advantage of these favorable conditions, they chose to enforce the follow-on.

Nevertheless, Assam exhibited an exceptional batting performance in their second innings as they were determined to rescue the match. The opening duo of Rahul Hazarika and Rishav Das laid a strong foundation by adding 103 runs for the first wicket. Due to poor bowling discipline from Kerala's bowlers, there were plenty of chances for scoring available which was capitalized by the Assam openers.

Rahul Hazarika made the most of the easily playable balls, reaching his fifty swiftly. Rishav Das gave him strong assistance but was eventually dismissed by Suresh Vishweshwar's low-delivery in front of wickets. While partnering with Rahul and dulling Kerala's assault, Gokul Sharma - who has just announced his retirement from first-class cricket - stepped up to bat as well.

Rahul Hazarika, who was close to reaching 100 runs, played with a careful strategy until he finally achieved the landmark by skillfully hitting the ball towards second slip off Nidheesh. Gokul Sharma made a score of 23 before trying an audacious paddle sweep against Jalaj Saxena which led to his dismissal as wicketkeeper Vishnu Vinod caught it on the second try.

After Rahul scored an impressive 107 and edged Nidheesh to the wicketkeeper, S.G. Ghadigaonkar and Riyan Parag played out the rest of the overs, resulting in both teams agreeing on a draw shortly after tea. Kerala earned three points for their first-innings lead while Assam received one point for their resilient second-innings performance.

On January 19th, Kerala will go head to head with Mumbai in Thiruvananthapuram, and Assam is getting ready for a confrontation against Andhra at Dibrugarh. The recent match held at the ACA Stadium adds new excitement to the ongoing Ranji Trophy as both teams displayed strength and talent on difficult cricket grounds.

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