Kolkata: Assam will look to turn home advantage into a winning result when they face Tripura in a Ranji Trophy Group B clash at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from Sunday, with the visitors arriving on the back of an innings defeat to Hyderabad and without professional batter Hanuma Vihari.Assam conceded the first-innings lead to Punjab in their season opener but found encouragement in a spirited batting recovery.After slumping to two wickets without a run on the board and three down for 23 under difficult conditions, captain Denish Das and Sibsankar Roy struck centuries to rescue the innings. Swarupam Purkayastha also contributed a half-century in the first innings, although wicketkeeper-batter Sumit Ghadigaonkar failed to convert his starts in both innings.Coach Kiran Powar believes the fightback against Punjab’s quality bowling attack will serve as a confidence booster, even as he expects his bowlers to improve after conceding 478 in the opposition’s first innings.“The way Denish batted was outstanding. I told him it was one of the best innings I had seen in a long time. It was a tough pitch, and he showed tremendous character,” Powar told STOI from Guwahati.The coach identified line and length as key areas for improvement, particularly with an inexperienced bowling attack.“We struggled in those areas. Apart from (senior pro) Mukhtar Hussain, we had an inexperienced bowling attack, with some players making their debuts. We bowled on both sides of the wicket, and that made a big difference,” he said.Tripura, meanwhile, have plenty to address after suffering an innings-and-40-run defeat against Hyderabad. They managed just 134 and 120 in response to Hyderabad’s 294, with left-arm orthodox spinners Tanay Thyagarajan and Gangam Anikethreddy causing havoc. Tanay claimed nine wickets for 89 runs in the match, while Anikethreddy took a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Vihari, who did not travel with the squad to Guwahati, had scored zero and one against his former side.Assam have prepared on both red- and black-soil surfaces since May, and Powar expects the Barsapara red-soil pitch to offer bounce and some assistance to the bowlers.“I believe in playing on sporting wickets that offer something for everyone – batters, fast bowlers and spinners. Bowlers need some assistance; otherwise, getting results becomes difficult,” he said.With Tripura struggling for runs, Assam have an opportunity to collect a bigger points haul at home. Powar, however, cautioned against underestimating opponents whose previous defeat came on a spin-friendly surface. Assam’s task will be to turn their batting resilience into a complete team performance.
