KOLKATA: Bengal strengthened their hold over the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Jharkhand by taking a crucial first-innings lead at the Eden Gardens here on Wednesday. At stumps on Day 2, the hosts were sitting pretty on 238 for five, enjoying a 65-run lead over Jharkhand, who were bowled out for 173 the previous day.
However, Bengal should have been in at a much stronger position had they not failed to capitalise on a solid 136-run first-wicket stand between Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami.
The Laxmi Ratan Shukla-coached side once again missed out on a good start losing newcomer opener Kazi Junaid Saifi early in the morning for only one. But Easwaran continued with his sublime form to control the innings along with youngster Gharami.
Much like the match against Uttarakhand at the league stage, the duo laid the foundation for a strong Bengal reply. With Jharkhand pacers Asish Kumar and Rahul Shukla maintaining a steady line, the batters waited for the loose ball to score without going for any heroics.
Opener Easwaran raced to his third fifty in this Ranji season in 80 balls with the help of seven boundaries. His partner too reached the milestone after the lunch break facing 87 balls which included eight boundaries.
It took veteran Shahbaz Nadeem to break the partnership when the spinner returned for his second spell of the morning. Gharami, who survived on 27 when pacer Supriyo Chakraborty failed to hold on to a return chance, perished on 68 edging the left-arm spinner to Virat Singh at first slip. Just two over later, Bengal suffered a bigger jolt when Easwaran, who was looking good for another three-digit score, suddenly played a rather lazy shot to an away-going delivery off Chakraborty to wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra to depart for 77.
Bengal overtook the Jharkhand total just after the tea break, but Jharkhand bowlers were able to put the pressure on Bengal by successfully drying up the runs. The result showed soon after as Benal lost both their experienced campaigners — skipper Manoj Tiwary and experienced Anushtup Majumder. Chakraborty got Tiwary trapped in front with a full toss delivery as the Bengal skipper missed the line trying to play across the line while shuffling inside the wicket.
Spinner Anukul Roy was introduced to the attack in the last session of play and the left-armer dislodged Majumder’s off-stump in his fifth over. All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and wicketkeeper-batter Abhishek Porel managed to accelerate the run-rate a bit late in the day by finding the much-needed odd boundaries.
