KOLKATA: Skipper Sudip Chatterjee led from the front to help Bengal record an easy seven-wicket victory against Chhattisgarh in the opening match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali (T20) meet at the Barsapara cricket stadium in Guwahati on Thursday. The left-handed batsman, who opened the innings, not only laid the foundation, but also stayed there till the end to ensure the side romp home with three overs to spare.
The Bengal bowlers responded well to restrict Chhattisgarh to 118 for seven after Chatterjee won the toss and put the rivals in. With the ball doing a bit in the early morning match, Chattisgarh lost wickets almost at regular intervals. Opener A Herwadkar only managed to get some runs but did not get enough support from the other end. He remained Chhattisgarh's highest run-getter of the day scoring a 60-ball 73 that included six boundaries and two sixes. The Bengal spinners particularly did well to chock the runs in the middle overs and put the opposition under pressure. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed gave away just six runs in his three overs claiming one wicket. Youngster Karan Lal also picked up a wicket giving away just 14 runs in his four overs. Pacer Mukesh Kumar was the most successful Bengal bowler picking up two wickets for 26 runs.
Bengal made a fluent start with opener Abhishek Das playing his shots early. After he departed for a 13-ball 17, Lal, who was promoted up the order, played a quickfire 10-ball 11. Veteran Wriddhiman Saha then joined the skipper as the duo were involved in a 50-run third-wicket stand that took the match away from Chhattisgarh. Chatterjee carried on the momentum even after Saha left, scoring 22. The skipper hit five boundaries to stay unbeaten on 46-ball 51.
"Our bowlers did a wonderful job," Chatterjee later said. "It feels good to start the tournament on a winning note," he added.
Brief scores (Elite Gr B): Chhattisgarh 118/7 in 20 ovs (A Herwadkar 73; M Kumar 2-26, S Ahmed 1-6, K Lal 1-14) Bengal 119/3 in 17 ovs (S Chatterjee 51*; R Kiran 2-24). Bengal won by 7 wkts.
