In a thrilling Ranji Trophy Group-C clash at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, Suraj Jaiswal spearheaded Bengal’s pace attack, taking four crucial wickets to help dismiss Uttarakhand for 213 in their first innings. This strong performance came despite India’s celebrated bowlers, Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep, struggling to find their rhythm early on.
Bengal’s decision to field first on a warm morning saw the much-anticipated Shami-Akash pairing bowl eight overs without any breakthroughs on what appeared to be a relatively flat pitch. However, it was first-change bowler Ishan Porel who finally broke the deadlock in the 11th over, getting Avneesh Sudha caught at second slip.
Jaiswal, who proved to be Bengal’s leading wicket-taker last season with 29 scalps, quickly followed up by removing Prashant Chopra with a sharp catch by wicketkeeper Abishek Porel. Sticking to a disciplined line, Jaiswal consistently troubled the batsmen, dismissing Kunal Chandela and Yuvraj Choudhary bowled, and taking a straightforward return catch from Shashwat Dangwal.
For Uttarakhand, Bhupen Lalwani showcased impressive resilience, crafting a valuable half-century (71 off 128 balls, with 9 fours). Lalwani effectively rotated the strike and found the boundaries with well-executed cuts and pulls, forging important partnerships of 44 runs with Shashwat Dangwal and 54 runs with Yuvraj. His innings eventually ended when he was caught behind off Ishan Porel, attempting a shot too close to his body.
Ishan Porel continued to impress, picking up the wicket of a settled Jagadeesa Suchith four overs later, caught in the slips by Majumdar. Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami, despite struggling with his rhythm through nearly 15 overs spread across five spells, managed to redeem himself by grabbing the last three wickets in his final over, preventing Uttarakhand from pushing further. Conversely, Akash Deep remained wicket-less and proved to be the most expensive bowler among the pacemen.
At stumps on day one, Bengal faced an early setback in their first innings, losing captain Abhimanyu Easwaran for a duck on the very first ball, finishing the day at 8 for 1. The match promises more exciting cricket as Bengal looks to recover and build a strong response.
Brief Scores:
Uttarakhand 1st innings: Avneesh Sudha c Majumdar b Ishan 12, Prashant Chopra c Abishek b Jaiswal 23, Kunal Chandela b Jaiswal 7, Bhupen Lalwani c Abishek b Ishan 71, Shashwat Dangwal b Jaiswal 17, Yuvraj Choudhary c&b Jaiswal 19, Jagadeesa Suchith c Majumdar b Ishan 25, Abhay Negi (not out) 28, Janmejay Joshi b Shami 5, Rajan Chaudhury c Abishek b Shami 0, Devendra Bora b Shami 0; Extras: (lb-1, nb-3, w-2): 6; Total (72.5 overs): 213.
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-42, 3-44, 4-88, 5-142, 6-164, 7-179, 8-212, 9-212.
Bengal bowling: Shami 14.5-4-37-3, Akash Deep 16-2-53-0, Ishan Porel 15-3-40-3, Jaiswal 19-4-54-4, Bhati 8-0-28-0.
Bengal 1st innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran c Chopra b Bora 0, Sudip Chatterjee (batting) 1, Sudip Gharami (batting) 7; Total (for one wicket in five overs): 8.
Fall of wicket: 1-0.
Uttarakhand bowling: Bora 3-0-3-1, Rajan 2-0-5-0.
Toss: Bengal.