Bengal land Delhi knockout blow
KOLKATA:WITH help from Anustup Majumdar (69 not out; 4x8; 122b), Abhimanyu Easwaran (183 not out; 4x23; 6x2; 211b) steered Bengal to a seven-wicket win against Delhi making their highest run chase in the Ranji Trophy look easy in this Elite Group B tie at Eden Gardens.
After three days of mediumpacers besting batsmen, after three days of letting Delhi back into the game, after three days of the scoring rate not crossing four, Easwaran and Majumdar’s counter-attacking 186-run fourthwicket stand took Bengal to 22 points.
Scoring at 4.59 per over, Bengal kept alive chances of a quarter-final berth. Delhi, however, crashed out.
“This is the kind of victory we wanted. This will change things, change the morale, the momentum; the ball is now running for Bengal. Watch out for Bengal,” said mentor Arun Lal even as his team, on 18/0 overnight, celebrated overhauling a target of 322 with a kickabout.
Easwaran, 23, hit the winning runs and it was appropriate that the final boundary would come from a backfoot cover-drive for it was a shot he played well through the day. His first 50 had half-chances blotting good shots --- a straight drive in the second over showed his intent and two coverdrives little later his class --- but Easwaran grew in confidence in the second session. “His class and fitness were never in doubt, Easwaran now needs to do this consistently,” said Lal.
“Guess it will be among my top three knocks. I was getting out in the 60s and 70s and Rahul Dravid Sir (under whom Easwaran played for India A) and my coach (Apurva Desai) told me to focus on one over at a time. Inputs from Sourav Sir (Sourav Ganguly), Bengal coaching staff and seniors too helped,” said Easwaran.
Seated next to Lal for almost four hours, Ganguly had told Easwaran to focus on staying till tea, the batsman said. Since Sunday, Ganguly was usually seen deep in the second session. On Wednesday, he came before lunch and after three wickets had fallen quickly.
Abhishek Raman had ended a 121-run opening stand with a poor shot. The ‘Raman effect’ led to Kulwant Khejroliya getting his length right and dismissing Sudip Chatterjee and Manoj Tiwary quickly. From 121 for no loss, Bengal slumped to 137/3.
“The first target was to stay till lunch. Because the other bowlers weren’t pitching in the right areas, we knew surviving Khejroliya’s spell was important. If we qualify, this will be my best innings,” said Majumdar, 34, who has a first-class best of 144.
Delhi’s chances were snuffed out after Khejroliya hurt his ankle while fielding and couldn’t bowl after the 42ndover.
“You can’t bowl on both sides of the wicket. The bowlers needed to finish the job in the way Dinda did (for Bengal). (But) We are a young team and it takes one or two years to build a side. We will bounce back,” said Delhi coach Mithun Manhas after hopes of surviving the group ended on Wednesday.
Asked if Shikhar Dhawan, who isn’t part of the India Test squad, should have been playing this tie, Manhas said: “That is for the BCCI to answer.”