In a commanding display on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, Bengal solidified their formidable position against Gujarat. Key contributions from Sudip Gharami, who notched his second successive half-century, and Anustup Majumdar, with a crucial fighting knock, were pivotal in extending Bengal’s lead.
After skillfully wrapping up Gujarat’s first innings for a total of 167, Bengal went on to score 170 for seven in their second essay, accumulating an imposing overall lead of 282 runs.
Gujarat, who commenced the day at a precarious 107 for seven, found resilience in their skipper Manan Hingrajia. His defiant, unbeaten 80 runs off 252 balls, featuring nine boundaries, was instrumental in helping his team avoid the follow-on and minimizing Bengal’s first-innings lead. Hingrajia’s impressive boundary-hitting, particularly between third-man and long-off, guided the tailenders to add 60 valuable runs, preventing Bengal from establishing an even larger advantage. Shahbaz Ahmed was the star performer with the ball, adding two more wickets to complete a superb six-wicket haul, while Shami chipped in with his third.
Following Sudip Chatterjee’s unfortunate left knee injury sustained while fielding on Sunday, Kazi Saifi stepped in as his replacement. Makeshift opener Gharami and captain Abhimanyu Easwaran laid a solid foundation, adding 55 runs for the opening partnership.
Left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai, who had already claimed four wickets in the first innings, continued to trouble the Bengal batsmen. His precise flight and notable turn earned him four more scalps during a marathon 18-over spell. Desai delivered two quick blows, first dismissing Abhimanyu who swept straight to mid-wicket, and then Saifi, who edged one to the wicketkeeper while playing forward. He later accounted for Sumanta Gupta and Shahbaz.
Left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla, who found a hint of reverse swing to discomfort the Bengal batters, effectively complemented Siddharth. Nagwaswalla claimed the wickets of Gharami and Abishek Porel, collectively applying significant pressure on the home side’s batting lineup.
On a slow pitch characterized by low bounce, Gharami (54 runs off 93 balls, with 9 fours) expertly found most of his boundaries through precise cuts and flicks. He forged another 38-run partnership with Majumdar before being adjudged lbw. Majumdar (44 not out off 81 balls, with 7 fours) received a stroke of luck when he was bowled off a Siddharth no-ball on 24 runs. He capitalized on this reprieve, holding one end firm as Bengal pushed to extend their lead further.
The scores:
Bengal — 1st innings: 279.
Gujarat — 1st innings: Abhishek Desai lbw b Shami 0, Aarya Desai b Akash 8, Siddharth Desai b Shami 19, Manan Hingrajia (not out) 80, Umang Kumar c Chatterjee b Shahbaz 18, Jaymeet Patel b Shahbaz 0, Urvil Patel b Shahbaz 15, Vishal Jayswal c sub (Saifi) b Shahbaz 0, Chintan Gaja c Abhimanyu b Shahbaz 4, Arzan Nagwaswalla lbw b Shahbaz 12, Priyajitsing Jadeja c Abishek b Shami 0; Extras (b-9, lb-1, nb-1): 11; Total (in 76.3 overs): 167.
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-9, 3-39, 4-70, 5-76, 6-96, 7-96, 8-108, 9-146.
Bengal bowling: Shami 18.3-6-44-3, Akash 16-7-31-1, Ishan 11-4-25-0, Jaiswal 12-3-23-0, Shahbaz 19-5-34-6.
Bengal — 2nd innings: Sudip Gharami lbw b Nagwaswalla 54, Abhimanyu Easwaran c Nagwaswalla b Siddharth 25, Kazi Saifi c Urvi b Siddharth 1, Anustup Majumdar (batting) 44, Abishek Porel b Nagwaswalla 1, Sumanta Gupta lbw b Siddharth 11, Shahbaz Ahmed st. Urvil b Siddharth 20, Suraj Jaiswal (batting) 7; Extras (b-4, lb-2, nb-1): 7; Total (for six wkts. in 48 overs): 170.
Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-57, 3-95, 4-105, 5-129, 6-159.
Gujarat bowling: Gaja 6-0-20-0, Nagwaswalla 13-1-58-2, Priyajitsing 7-0-29-0, Siddharth 18-6-48-4, Jayswal 4-0-9-0.