Super Division: Pritam - Samik pair seals victory for Itkhola against United Club

It was a tricky start to the campaign for Itkhola. Batting first against United Club led by Abhishek Thakuri, Pritam Das’ boys had their backs on the wall from the very beginning.

Opener Aman Singh (6) was sent to the pavilion by Sagar Chetri with only 23 on the board. The early breakthrough made space for left arm spinner Sudarshan Sinha to weave his magic. Though it is just the start of the session, it was turning square on Sunday. Sinha sent Abhishek Kumar (8) to the pavilion and Raj Bhowmick got through the tenacity of Subhajit Paul (23) who has been promoted to the opener slot by Pritam Das.

Mr. Dependable of last season, Sunzow Bramha (11) also failed to deliver today and it looked like an evident collapse for Itkhola. United Club, on the other hand, was on top with 100 for five. Then came the experience of Pritam Das and Samik Das. The latter scored a stylish 32 and was brilliantly supported by Captain Pritam Das who scored 39 runs of 38 balls and was the top scorer for the Itkhola AC. The finishing touch was delivered by youngster Anurag Sinha (20) taking the team’s total to 186. United Club was sloppy as the bowlers conceded 30 extras.

Raj Bhowmick was the pick of the bowlers picking four wickets. Sudarshan Sinha got two and so did Prattoy Raj.

Chasing the par score at Satindra Mohan Dev Memorial Stadium, United needed to get off yo a good start. Much was expected from Roshan Topno but Cachar Express did not let him open his account. The timber behind his guard was disrupted by Das on the very first ball. Abhishek Thakuri who scored a century at his last Super Division match to win the final last year, was also dismissed by Pritam Das. He could only score one. Mantu Das supported Pritam Das’ spell and picked two more.

Batting after a long time in competitive top division cricket, it was on Rajdeep Das to rebuild with Prashant Kumar who was batting beautifully. On a Sunday afternoon, fans and cricket lovers had the opportunity to experience Samik Das bowling at Rajdeep Das again. The wicket keeper batter who played Ranji Trophy for Assam retained his stylish batting style and build a partnership for United. The foundation was laid for some quick hitting to reach the target, but Samik Das, yet again rising to the occasion, dismissed Rajdeep Das for 26.

Abhik Lala followed and he needed to rotate the strike to keep up with the required run rate while chasing. But, Abhik Lala instead played too slow. His 31-ball 10 runs innings put the team far behind the run rate. At the end of 40 overs, United could only score 145 handing Itkhola AC a 41-run win. Prashant Kumar played a brilliant innings and remained not out at 85.

Pritam Das, Samik Das, Mantu Das and Subhajit Paul, picked two wickets each. For the all round performance, Pritam Das was adjudged the man of the match.