Ranji Trophy 2024: With a blitzkrieg knock, captain Riyan Parag prevents Assam from losing to Chhattisgarh in the innings.

Ranji Trophy’s 2024 edition is under progress, and forty teams are vying for recognition on the grand stage. The visiting team faced difficulties in the Chhattisgarh vs. Assam match at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur until star all-rounder skipper Riyan Parag intervened. After a shaky start, Riyan Parag gave his team a lead in the second inning by smashing an incredible 155 off just 87 balls.

On Day 3, after Assam had lost two players and had 78 runs on the board on the final ball of the 21st over, Parag came to the crease. The real trouble started when the batting squad lost their third wicket, Sumit Ghadigaonkar, a ball later. Instead of loitering and gradually extending the innings, Assamese state captain Parag had plans to counterattack.

Riyan Parag defied everything that was expected of him, surprising the team led by Amandeep Khare.

The captain quickly reached his fifty-seven, and on the third day at Stumps, he was still undefeated at 82. The following morning, the youthful player carried on with his good work to score a brilliant 155 runs, helping his team set a goal for Chhattisgarh, albeit not a very high one. Eleven boundaries and twelve soaring maximums were scored during his knockout.

Notably, the all-round player made a century in just 56 balls, making him second only to Rishabh Pant in Ranji Trophy history for fastest century. Against Jharkhand in the 2016–17 season, the Delhi keeper-batter famously attained the milestone in just 48 balls.

Riyan Parag finished his knock as the lone warrior, but wickets continued coming at the other end. He eventually gave up, with a lead of 77 runs on the scoreboard, reading 245 for 9. Chhattisgarh needed 87 runs to win, and after nine more runs, Assam was swept out. Parag’s blow was futile as Chhattisgarh’s openers, KD Eknath and Rishabh Tiwari, combined to form an unbreakable partnership during the chase, winning by 10 wickets and climbing to the top of the Ranji Trophy 2024 points table.