Gowtham spins Assam to doom to help Karnataka top table

Krishnappa Gowtham destroyed Assam's second innings with a brilliant stint of off-spin bowling before Karnataka romped home to a comprehensive 10-wicket victory on the fourth and final day of their Ranji Trophy Group B game, here today.
Gowtham grabbed 7 for 108 while leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal captured the other three wickets for 97 as the spin duo bundled out Assam for 264 in their second innings at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground.
Karnataka, who led Assam by 245 runs in the first innings, needed 20 runs for an outright victory and accumulated the required runs for no loss in just three overs to secure a thumping victory with a bonus point to boot.

The seven points that Karnataka gathered here helped them leapfrog Jharkhand to the top of the league table with 17 points.
This was also the southern outfit's second successive outright victory after their innings win over Delhi at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata in their previous game.
Assam had their backs to the wall when they commenced in the morning at 48 for one and so it proved.

Barring first innings centurion Amit Verma, himself a former player from Karnataka, who made an aggressive 74 with the help of four sixes and seven fours in 120 balls, and opener Rahul Hazarika (44), the others put up meek resistance against Gowtham and Shreyas.

The 28-year-old Gowtham - playing in only his sixth game in four years - claimed six of the top seven batsmen, including Verma, to finish with his career's as well as season's second five wicket haul in an innings that took his tally of victims this season to 18 in three games.
Gowtham had taken 5 for 35 in the second innings against Delhi, his maiden five wicket haul.
Opener Rahul Hazarika was the second best scorer with 44, while lower down the order Sarupam Purkayastha made 33 to add to his first innings half century, but overall Assam put up a poor batting show against the spin duo barring left hander Verma.

Brief scores: Assam 325 and 264 (R Hazarika 44, A Verma 74; K Gowtham 7 for 108, S Gopal 3 for 97) lost to Karnataka 570 and 21 for no loss by ten wickets. Karnataka 7 points. Assam 0 points.