KALYANI: Bengal missed a chance to put enough pressure on Delhi by racing for 429 runs just after the lunch break on Day III of their Elite Group ‘C’ Ranji Trophy match on Tuesday. However, the visitors still have a job on their hands as they are 88 runs behind after being reduced to 101/3 at stumps in the final days.
Unbeaten centurion Abishek Porel started the night on a positive note by driving pacer Navdeep Saini for a four straight down the first ball of the day. However, his unbeaten partner Sudip Gharami looked a bit distracted and Hrithik got a chance to survive on 131 when he dropped an easy catch at deep cover from Shokeen Saini.
But the 229-run fourth-wicket stand between the two ended when Garami was trapped in front by Divij Mehra on 133. However, Shokin made amends by picking up the prized wicket of Porel when left-hander Sanat Sangwan offered an easy chance to fall in the 9th over in the forward over.
Ayush Badoni was the surprise captain for Delhi to take the last three wickets of the hosts in the second over after lunch – Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar – to restrict the margin to 189 and return to five figures for 43.
Things could have been worse for Delhi if Sudip Chatterjee had gone on to take the catch offered by Sarthak Ranjan, who was bowled by Shami in the third over of the second innings. For some strange reason, the Delhi batters fell into a shell after that as the runs dried up completely. A total of 27 runs were scored in the 19 overs that Delhi faced in the second session of the game.
Bengal bounced back in the final session by scoring two goals in a row. Left-arm spinner Pradipta Pramanik cleaned up opener Sanat Sangwa for 25 when Mukesh left-armer Ayush Doseja was caught by wicketkeeper Shakib Gandhi.
Yash Dhull had to leave injured after being hit in the chest by Akash Deep’s short rise. However, the kicker is expected to come out on Wednesday if required, as he appeared in several batting practices late in the day’s game.
Although the wicketkeeper has been slower, there have been some odd bounces that have kept the Bengal camp hopeful. “I still feel we can score maximum points,” coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said.
Brief scores: Delhi 240 and 101/3 (S Sangwan 25; Akash Deep 1-15) vs Bengal 429 (A Porel 149, S Gharami 133; A Badoni 5-43).