New Delhi, Oct 19 Fifteen wickets fell on a gripping second day as Bengal gained a slight advantage over Services in their Ranji Trophy Group C match, here Monday.
Services 12 without loss at stumps in a chase of 197.
Bengal’s leftarm spin bowling all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed, returning from injury, claimed 4/35 runs in 19 overs, while offspinner Aamir Gani took 4/31 as Services were dismissed for 122 in 62.2 overs in reply to Bengal’s first innings total of 184.
All 10 Services wickets fell to Bengal’s spinners, with left-arm spinner Pradipta Pramanik claiming 2/31 at the Palam A Ground.
Captain Rajat Paliwal offered some resistance with an unbeaten 48 off 129 balls, while Shubham Rohilla made 17 and Nitin Tanwar scored 16.
Bengal, with a first-innings lead of 62 runs, were expected to consolidate their advantage but struggled against Services’ spin attack in the second innings to fold for 146 in 52.5 overs, giving Services a target of 209.
Left-arm spinner Rahul Singh took 5/39 in 15.5 overs, while Pulkit Narang claimed two wickets and Arjun Sharma chipped in with two.
Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran top-scored with 30, while wicketkeeper-batter Abishek Porel contributed 25 and Sudip Kumar Gharami made 23.
Services openers Rohilla and Tanwar negotiated the five overs before stumps without losing a wicket, taking the score to 12.
Rohilla was unbeaten on nine and Tanwar on three, leaving the contest finely balanced with three days remaining.
Badoni 217, Priyansh 199 power Delhi
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At the Palam B Ground, it was a sharp contrast, with the bat dominating as Delhi piled up 648 for six declared against group-leaders Gujarat, powered by captain Ayush Badoni’s double century after Priyansh Arya’s 199-run effort on Sunday.
Badoni struck a magnificent 217 off 246 balls, hitting 22 fours and two sixes. Delhi, who lost their opening away match to Bengal, made a strong comeback with the commanding batting display.
Sumit Mathur contributed 92, while Anuj Rawat remained unbeaten on 61 off 61 balls as Delhi declared after 136.4 overs.
In reply, Gujarat reached 98 for two in 35 overs at stumps, trailing by 550 runs.
Azharuddeen slams ton
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Wicketkeeper-batter Mohammed Azharuddeen struck 139 while Aditya Sarwate chipped in with an all-round show as Kerala were in command against Odisha in Thiruvananthapuram.
Resuming at 245 for six, Kerala were bowled out for 404 on the second day after Azharuddeen carried on from his overnight 72 not out to score an unbeaten 139 off 263 balls, hitting 11 fours.
Sarwate contributed 53 off 77 deliveries, including seven boundaries.
Sarwate then struck twice with the ball, conceding just 27 runs in 17 overs, as Odisha reached 114 for three in 43 overs at stumps, trailing by 290 runs.
Gourav Choudhary top-scored with 50, while Shantanu Mishra made 32. Captain Subhranshu Senapati was unbeaten on 16, with Sandeep Pattnaik on two at close of play.
For Odisha, Lalit Yadav took three wickets, while Rajesh Mohanty, Soumya Lenka and Ninad Rathva claimed two each to bowl Kerala out.
Brief Scores:
Delhi 648/6 declared; 136.4 overs (Ayush Badoni 217, Priyansh Arya 199, Sumit Mathur 92, Anuj Rawat 61). Gujarat 98/2; 35 overs.
Bengal 184 and 146; 52.5 overs (Abhishek Porel 25; Rahul Singh 5/39, Arjun Sharma 2/50, Pulkit Narang 2/34) Services 122; 62.2 overs (Rajat Paliwal 48; Shahbaz Ahmed 4/35, Aamir Gani 4/31, Pradipta Pramanik 2/31) and 12 for no loss.
In Thiruvanathapuram: Kerala 404; 129.3 overs (Mohammed Azharudden 139 not out, Aditya Sarwate 53; Lalit Yadav 3/53, Rajesh Mohanty 2/81, Soumya Lenka 2/57, Ninad Rathva 2/81). Odisha 114/3; 46 overs (Gourav Choudhary 50; Aditya Sarwate 2/27).
In Pune: Jharkhand 169. Maharashtra 403/5; 116 overs (Digvijay Patil 148, Ankit Bawne 120 batting).
(PTI News)
