Kalyani (WB), Oct 14 Bengal began their Ranji Trophy Group C campaign on a winning note, thrashing Delhi by nine wickets after bowling out the visitors for 277 in their second innings and chasing down a target of 89 on the fourth and final day on Wednesday.
Resuming their second innings at 101 for three, Delhi managed 277 in 106.2 overs, with captain Ayush Badoni top-scoring with a gritty 85 off 134 balls, including 10 fours, while wicketkeeper-batter Anuj Rawat contributed 39 off 76 deliveries.
Bengal, who had secured a substantial first-innings lead after posting 429 in reply to Delhi’s 240, needed just 15.3 overs to reach the target, finishing at 89 for one to seal a comprehensive victory.
Badoni, who held the Delhi innings together, found some support from Rawat as the pair attempted to rebuild after early setbacks. However, Bengal’s disciplined bowling prevented Delhi from setting a challenging target.
Delhi had lost their first three wickets for 59 before Badoni and Rawat steadied the innings with a crucial partnership. Rawat was dismissed for 39 by Aamir Gani, while Yash Dhull contributed 22 before falling to Sumanta Gupta.
Badoni continued to resist, but his dismissal for 85, caught by Abhimanyu Easwaran off Pradipta Pramanik, left Delhi struggling at 213 for six. Dev Lakra (13) and Hrithik Shokeen (8) were dismissed in quick succession, while Divij Mehra struck 21 off 28 balls to offer some late resistance.
Navdeep Saini remained unbeaten on 20.
Pramanik was the pick of Bengal’s bowlers with three wickets, while Gani and Gupta claimed two wickets each. Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Chasing 89 for victory, Bengal lost Ankur Paul, who scored a brisk 38 off 41 balls, including two fours and a six. However, captain Easwaran remained unbeaten on 34 off 40 balls, while first-innings centurion Sudip Gharami finished unbeaten on 16 off 12 deliveries as Bengal completed the chase without further trouble.
Desai’s fifer guides Gujarat to 10-wicket win over Odisha
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In Ahmedabad, left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai spun a web around Odisha batters to power Gujarat to a commanding 10-wicket win in their Group C match, earning a bonus point and making a resounding start to their campaign.
Resuming the day at 119 for 4, Odisha cut a sorry figure against Desai’s guile, with the spinner claiming 5 for 36 as they were bundled out for 161 in 46.1 overs. Gujarat were set a paltry target of 47, which they chased down with consummate ease.
Starting the new season under coach Monty Desai, Gujarat reached the target without losing a wicket in just 9.3 overs.
For Odisha, Sandeep Pattnaik top-scored with 65, while Ninad Rathva made 53.
Odisha lost seven wickets for next to nothing in the second innings, with Desai triggering the collapse to claim his 16th first-class five-wicket haul.
Left-arm pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla also contributed to Gujarat’s victory, taking six wickets in the match, including 3 for 33 in the second innings.
The Group C match between Jharkhand and Kerala in Jamshedpur ended in a draw with the home team earning three points for taking the first-innings lead.
Jharkhand all-rounder Utkarsh Singh received the Player of the Match award for his performance in the drawn match. Utkarsh made 71 runs and picked up five wickets in the game.
In another Group C match, Maharashtra defeated Services by 127 runs in Delhi.
(PTI News)
