Delhi started their Ranji Trophy campaign in a resounding fashion as they wallopped last edition's semi-finalists Assam by an innings and 83 runs on the final day of opening group league encounter.
Having piled up a gigantic first innings score of 589 for 8 thereby taking a 396-run lead, Delhi bowled out Assam for 313 in their second essay to log home a maximum seven points including a bonus point.
For Delhi, it was left-arm spinner Manan Sharma, who grabbed a career-best 5/108 in 26.3 overs while left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan (2/40) and slow left-armer Varun Sood (2/81) chipped in with vital breakthroughs.
Needing seven wickets on the final day after Assam started the proceedings at 100 for three, Delhi bowlers kept up the pressure from the start.
The first breakthrough in the morning was provided by pacer Navdeep Saini, who got left-handed Amit Verma (35) to edge one to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
Once the 62-run stand was broken, the other overnight batsman KB Arun Karthik (34) was snapped up by skipper Unmukt Chand off Sood's bowling to have Assam reeling at 121 for five. Manan wrapped up the proceedings by trapping Krishna Das leg before with an arm delivery to record his fifth five-wicket haul in first class cricket.
Hyderabad beat Goa
Nagpur: The bowlers, led by paceman M Ravi Kumar, scripted Hyderabad's impressive nine-wicket win by bundling out Goa for 258 in their second innings on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match, here on Sunday.
Goa, who conceded a 224-run first innings lead, needed to bat through the day to save the match but despite skipper Sagun Kamat (55) and Saurabh Bandekar (51) fighting knocks the side cracked under pressure. Hyderabad needed only 35 tuns to win and take six points which they did by losing just one wicket. Opener Tanmay agarwal scored an unbeaten 27 to complete the formalities.
Yuvi fails again
Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh suffered a double failure as Railways picked up three points on the basis of first innings lead in the Ranji Trophy Group A match that ended in a draw.
Railways, resuming their second innings at 180 for two, went on to declare at 245 for seven. Punjab in their second innings were 170 for three when play was called off with Uday Kaul and Mandeep Singh batting on 61 and 41 respectively.
Yuvraj, who scored 9 in first innings, was out caught and bowled to Ashish Yadav on 17 for a double failure in his first match of the Ranji Trophy.