Services spinner Arjun Sharma grabbed all the attention on Day 1 of the ongoing second round of the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 by taking the first hat-trick of the season against Assam.
At the Tinsukia District Sports Association Ground, Arjun bagged his first-ever hat-trick, which was also the first of this Ranji season. Arjun’s magical moment came when he dismissed Riyan Parag, Sumit Ghadigaonkar and Sibsankar Roy in the 12th over. Riyan, who scored 36 runs, was the first to fall. Off the very next ball, Ghadigaonkar was caught, and then Sibsankar’s dismissal completed Arjun’s hat-trick. The left-arm spinner was accurate with his line and length, and his clever variations helped him finish with figures of 5 for 46.
Arjun’s teammate, left-arm pacer Mohit Jangra, claimed the second hat-trick of the innings. Jangra bowled opener Pradyun Saikia before dismissing Mukhtar Hussain and Bhargab Lakhar to secure his maiden First-Class hat-trick.
Before Arjun and Mohit’s heroics, Assam had already lost two early wickets to off-spinner Pulkit Narang. Parag and Pradyun then added 40 runs for the third wicket in an attempt to stabilise the innings. However, Arjun’s triple strike broke the backbone of the Assam batting line-up and completely shifted the momentum towards Services.
Four Assam batters — Parvej Musaraf, captain Denish Das, Ghadigaonkar and Sibsankar — were out for ducks in the innings.
The last time a hat-trick was taken in the Ranji Trophy was in January earlier this year, when current Mumbai captain Shardul Thakur achieved the feat against Meghalaya.
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