KOLKATA: Abhimanyu Easwaran made his homecoming memorable by hitting an unbeaten 141 against hosts Uttarakhand on Day I of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group ‘A’ match at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy ground in Dehradun on Tuesday.
Taking cue from the previous games where the bowlers struck early at this venue, Uttarakhand skipper Jiwanjot Singh was prompt in putting Bengal in to bat on winning the toss. But Easwaran was not ready to have anyone else run the show at a ground where he grew up playing.
The opener strengthened his case for an India call-up by scoring his fourth consecutive red-ball century following his 141 and 157 against Bangladesh ‘A’ and 170 against Nagaland.
Bengal, who struggled in getting a good start in their first two matches, got a new lease of life with the return of Easwaran, who got a new opening partner in Sayan Sekhar Mondal on Tuesday.
The all-rounder, who was used as a floater in the previous games this season, might not have got a good score but provided able support to his partner and saw off the tricky first hour before being dismissed before lunch for 18.
Sudip Gharami, who joined Easwaran, exuded confidence, allowing Easwaran to continue smoothly as the duo picked up from where they had left against Nagaland. It was a proud moment for Easwaran to reach the three-figure mark after lunch in front of his father, who named his son after this infrastructure.
Gharami too settled down well and was unlucky to miss out on his third consecutive century after left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra broke the 170-run second-wicket stand by having him caught by Jiwanjot for 90. The 23-year-old batter hit 11 fours and one six during his 180-ball stay in the middle.
Stumps were drawn when Mishra clean bowled Anushtup Majumder (3) soon after as Bengal ended on a strong ground at 269 for three. Bengal will hope Easwaran, unbeaten on 141 after hitting 12 fours and one six, will continue in the same vein to put the rivals under scoreboard pressure.
Brief scores: Bengal 269/3 in 84.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 141 batting, Sudip Kr Gharami 90; Mayank Mishra 3/74) vs Uttarakhand.
