Political turmoil in Guwahati leads to shifting of Assam-Jharkhand Ranji Trophy match to Ranchi

The second round Ranji Trophy match between Assam and Jharkhand has been shifted from Guwahati to Ranchi due to political unrest in the north-eastern region. The match was scheduled to be played at the ACA Stadium, Barsapara from the 17th of December. The contest will now be held at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.

Guwahati, being the epicenter of the protest staged against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, has witnessed violence and has seen an indefinite curfew imposed in the past few days. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government suspended internet services across many cities in the state including Guwahati. Five columns( approximately 70 troops) of the Indian Army and more than 350 troops have also been deployed in Assam, including paramilitary force.

Earlier, the day four proceedings of the Ranji Trophy opener between Assam and Services were suspended due to the curfew imposed in the city. However, despite the protests in Agartala, the match between Tripura and Jharkhand went ahead.

Services were in a strong position as the hosts needed 168 runs to win with five wickets in hand. The game was categorized as a draw. Assam bagged three points courtesy their first-innings lead while Services had to be contained with one point. The Services team also had to delay their departure from Guwahati because of the curfew. They were supposed to leave on the evening of the final day’s play, instead they departed the following day.

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Meanwhile, Jharkhand scripted a stunning win against Tripura as they became the first team in the history of Ranji Trophy to come back from follow-on and win a contest.

Rana Dutta returned with figures of 4/42 as Tripura floored the visitors for 136 after their batters put on 289 on the board. Jharkhand though made an emphatic comeback with two of their senior statesmen, Saurabh Tiway and Ishank Jaggi scoring hundreds. They declared at 418/8, setting the hosts a target of 266. Ashish Kumar scalped a five-for to derail Tripura's chase, meaning that Jharkhand won the game by 54 runs.