In a landmark Ranji Trophy Group-C encounter at Eden Gardens, star pacer Mohammed Shami delivered a masterful performance, claiming five crucial wickets to guide Bengal to a historic 141-run victory over Gujarat. This triumph marked Bengal’s first-ever win against Gujarat, despite a valiant maiden unbeaten century from Gujarat’s Urvil Patel on Tuesday.
Entering the final day with a score of 170 for seven, a cautious Bengal side extended their innings for another half-hour, adding 44 runs. This set a challenging target of 327 for Gujarat.
Bengal’s bowling attack, spearheaded by Shami’s incredible five-wicket haul and the effective support of Shahbaz Ahmed, who took three wickets, proved too formidable. They successfully dismissed Gujarat for 185, securing Bengal’s second consecutive win in the tournament.
Despite a relatively flat pitch, Bengal began strongly in the field, with Shami making an immediate impact by having Abhishek Desai caught behind. However, a promoted Urvil Patel quickly shifted momentum, launching a stunning counterattack filled with powerful drives and cuts. The wicketkeeper-batsman, known for his stint with Chennai Super Kings, played with remarkable aggression, showing little regard for seasoned international pacers like Shami and Akash Deep, providing an exhilarating T20-style performance.
Bengal managed to stem the flow of runs when Akash Deep dismissed Aarya Desai, and Shahbaz Ahmed then sent Gujarat skipper Manan Hingrajia back to the pavilion with a sharp caught-and-bowled effort.
Urvil Patel, who survived a dropped catch off Shami when he was on 72, went on to score a magnificent 109 not out from 124 balls, including 16 boundaries. Alongside Jaymeet Patel, who contributed a solid 45 off 105 balls with 5 fours, he forged a frustrating 118-run partnership that tested Bengal’s resolve.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 35th over when Urvil, immediately after reaching his century, had to retire hurt due to cramps in his left hand. This sudden exit created an opening that Player-of-the-Match Shahbaz Ahmed exploited brilliantly, taking two quick wickets in the very next over – dismissing Umang Kumar and Chintan Gaja – to complete an impressive nine-wicket match-haul.
Shami continued his destructive spell, taking out Vishal Jayswal. With Gujarat losing three wickets in quick succession within approximately thirty minutes, Urvil Patel was forced to return to the crease despite his injury.
The partnership between Urvil and Jaymeet briefly rekindled, but Shami, showcasing his skill by moving the ball into the left-handers, soon broke through, dismissing both Jaymeet and Siddharth Desai. He then sealed his exceptional performance by surprising Arzan Nagwaswalla with a sharp rising delivery, claiming four wickets in his final four-over spell and finishing the match with a remarkable eight-wicket tally.
The final wicket fell early in the third session when Priyajitsing Jadeja was run out, securing Bengal’s emphatic victory.
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 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 Junaid Saifi c Urvil b Siddharth 1, Anustup Majumdar c&b Jayswal 58, Abishek Porel b Nagwaswalla 1, Sumanta Gupta lbw b Siddharth 11, Shahbaz Ahmed st Urvil b Siddharth 20, Suraj Jaiswal st Urvil b Siddharth 7, Akash Deep (not out) 25, Mohammed Shami (not out) 4; Extras (b-4, lb-3, nb-1): 8; Total (for eight wkts. in 54 overs): 214.
Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-57, 3-95, 4-105, 5-129, 6-159, 7-171, 8-195.
Gujarat bowling: Gaja 6-0-20-0, Nagwaswalla 13-1-58-2, Priyajitsing 7-0-29-0, Siddharth 21-6-61-5, Jayswal 7-0-39-1.
Gujarat — 2nd innings: Abhishek Desai c Abishek b Shami 0, Aarya Desai c Abishek b Akash 13, Urvil Patel (not out) 109, Manan Hingrajia c&b Shahbaz 0, Jaymeet Patel 45, Umang Kumar c Majumdar b Shahbaz 0, Chintan Gaja c Sumanta b Shahbaz 0, Vishal Jayswal b Shami 1, Siddharth Desai b Shami 0, Arzan Nagwaswalla 0, Priyajitsing Jadeja (run out) 4; Extras (b-2, lb-9, w-2): 13; Total (in 45.5 overs): 185.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-49, 3-50, 4-153, 5-153, 5-153, 6-162, 7-177, 8-177, 9-181.
Bengal bowling: Shami 10-1-38-5, Akash 10-0-38-1, Shahbaz 16.5-2-60-3, Ishan 7-2-22-0, Jaiswal 2-0-16-0.