KOLKATA: Bengal ended their group stage campaign of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 meet with a narrow five-run victory against Jharkhand in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
With four wins and two losses, the Laxmi Ratan Shukla-coached side ended with 16 points from six matches, keeping their hopes alive to make the next stage from Group D.
However, both Maharashtra and Jharkhand can catch up with Bengal if they win their respective last league stage matches on Friday. The top two teams from each of the five groups will progress to the knockout stage.
Bengal bowlers kept their nerves to restrict Jharkhand to 172 for six after Abhimanyu Easwaran’s powerful 87 helped them put up 177 for eight on electing to bat first.
Bengal openers Easwaran and Abhishek Porel once again provided the side with a good start after skipper Sudip Gharami won the toss. Anukul Roy gave Jharkhand the first breakthrough when the left-arm spinner had Abhishek caught by skipper Saurabh Tuwary for 18.
Jharkhand made further inroads as Bengal lost Gharami (8) and impact player Shakir Gandhi (1) in quick succession. But Easwaran stood tall and stitched together a 99-run fourth-wicket stand with Ranjot Singh Kharia to steady the ship.
But Bengal suffered setbacks losing both the batters in consecutive deliveries. While Kharia (39) was caught by Kumar Deobrat off pacer Rahul Shukla, former Bengal skipper Easwaran departed in the first ball of the next over off Vikash Singh after hitting eight fours and four sixes for his 55-ball 87.
Deobrat and Tiwary gave Jharkhand a good start in reply, but Bengal bowlers managed to keep the run rate under control. Skipper Virat Singh too made a useful contribution of 42 off 32 balls, but Jharkhand middle order failed to accelerate when needed thereby falling short by five runs.
Brief scores: Bengal 177/8 in 20 ovs (A Eswaran 87, R Kharia 39; Vikash Singh 3-43, Rahul Singh 2-27). Jharkhand 172/6 in 20 ovs (K Deobrat 35, Virat Singh 42; Sakshaim Chaudhary 2-33). Bengal won by 5 runs.
