Delhi rally in Pune; Mithun fifer at Eden
PUNE: Atrocious shot selection from skipper Manoj Tiwary and his deputy Sudeep Chatterjee saw Delhi take control of the proceedings, restricting Bengal to 273 for 7 on Day One of the Ranji Trophy semi-final. On a pitch where there was good carry but no demons, Bengal batsmen batted comfortably till they committed harakiri in the final session.
Bengal were comfortably placed at 200 for 3 when a couple of innocuous deliveries from leftarm spinner Manan Sharma (2/37 in 13 overs) changed the complexion of the match. Having added 68 for the fourth wicket, Tiwary looking set on 30, decided to give Manan the charge. Chatterjee, who was on 83 played an even more irresponsible shot in Manan’s very next over which was the 65th of the innings.
Chatterjee’s 162 ball innings had 10 fours but he failed to prove himself on the big stage with selector Sarandeep Singh in attendance. The momentum shifted in favour of Delhi once Manoj and Chatterjee were gone. Brief Scores: Bengal 273/7 in 87 overs (Sudeep Chatterjee 83, Writtick Chatterjee 47, Manan Sharma 2/37, Navdeep Saini 2/45) vs Delhi.
AT EDEN, 13 WICKETS FALL ON DAY ONE
KOLKATA: Karnataka pacer Abhimanyu Mithun bagged his third five-wicket haul of the Ranji Trophy campaign as Vidarbha collapsed for a paltry 185 before Karnataka were to 36/3 at the Eden Gardens.
Karun Nair (6 batting) and CM Gautam (9 batting) were at the crease at stumps with Karnataka trailing by 149 runs. Promising pacer Rajneesh Gurbani (2/9) and India speedster Umesh Yadav (1/22) raised hopes of a comeback by shaving off the Karnataka toporder after Mithun returned figures of 5/45.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 1st innings 185 all out (A Sarwate 47, W Jaffer 39; A Mithun 5/45, R. Vinay Kumar 2/36) vs Karnataka 1st innings 36/3 (CM Gautam 9 batting; R Gurbani 2/9)