Ranji Trophy chaos!! Assam vs Services becomes shortest-ever match; 2 hat-tricks taken in same innings
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The Assam vs Services match in the Ranji Trophy ended in a bizarre contest, as it turned out to be the shortest red-ball contest in tournament history. The two teams played only 90 overs, with 32 wickets falling across the four innings of play.
The Ranji Trophy will soon celebrate its 91st birthday, and before tha,t the shortest completed match in terms of balls in the history of the tournament has been recorded.
Shortest completed red-ball match recorded in Ranji Trophy 2025
The Assam vs Services match marked a total saga of domination from the bowlers, as just 359 runs were scored in the game, which was played over just 90 overs and within four sessions of play. The match was completed before Lunch on Day 2, with Services recording an 8-wicket victory.
This was just the second fixture at the Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground in the 21st century, and it opened with a 25-wicket opening day. The 540-ball contest surpassed the previous record set by the Delhi vs Railways match in 1961-62, where the match was completed with an outright result in just 547 balls and just 221 runs in the match.
However, the shortest game as per time still remains the Ranji Trophy inaugural contest between Madras and Mysore back in November 1934, when the game finished on the first Day itself with 100.5 overs bowled between the two teams.
Opening Day Drama concluded with 25 wickets alone on Day 1
It was the first instance in the history of the Ranji Trophy where two bowlers picked up hat-tricks in the same innings of a match. Previously, only Joginder Singh Rao, who played five games for the Services, had held the record of two hat-tricks in a single innings of the match.
Till now, he remains to have been the only bowler to have picked multiple hat-tricks in a single innings in First-Class Cricket. Arjun Sharma remained the pick of the bowlers for Services with 9 wickets in the match, while Riyan Parag, with 7 wickets to his name, was the best performer for Assam.
With 100+ totals in the first innings, Assam were bowled out for just 75 in their second innings, and the Services chased the target with 8 wickets remaining.
Arjun Sharma and Mohit Jangra record a double hat-trick in a single innings
The drama might have been one-sided, with the bowlers doing all in their might to hand advantages to their teams. Services spinner Arjun Sharma started the proceedings with Rajasthan Royals batter Riyan Parag being his first victim.
He further dismissed wicket-keeper Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Sibsankar Roy and recorded the first Ranji Trophy hat-trick of the season. Arjun's teammate and left-arm pacer Mohit Jangra also bagged his second hat-trick of the innings.
He dismissed the likes of opening batter Pradyun Saikia, who waged a lone battle with his quick-fire 52, and he was then followed by Assam No. 9 Mukhtar Hussain and No. 10 Bhargab Lakhar as Jangra claimed his maiden first-class hat trick.
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