Ranji Trophy: Chatterjee makes stylish return to Bengal red-ball team in season opener against UP

Chatterjee’s 13th FC hundred helped Bengal put up a total of 311 before the bowlers managed to earn a crucial 19-run lead.

Bengal’s Sudip Chatterjee exults after scoring a century against Uttar Pradesh in the first round of the Ranji Trophy cricket match. | Photo Credit: The Hindu/SANDEEP SAXENA

Sudip Chatterjee marked his comeback to the Bengal red-ball team with a memorable hundred during the opening Ranji Trophy fixture of the season against Uttar Pradesh (UP) in Lucknow. 

The southpaw scored 4951 First-Class (FC) runs in 78 matches since debuting against Hyderabad in 2012. In this period, only three players have managed to cross Chatterjee’s tally of 3555 runs for Bengal despite him spending two seasons at Tripura.

“It was a good feeling to return to Bengal, where I played for many years, and score a hundred,” Chatterjee told  Sportstar.

The 32-year-old was impressive on the first morning when the UP pacers were getting extra bounce out of the pitch. He took his time in the early parts of the innings before capitalising after lunch when the conditions eased out. 

“We knew that the wicket would be tricky in the first hour. I was thinking about playing close to the body and leaving balls outside off-stump. When the pitch became easier to bat, the shots came,” he said. 

His 13th FC hundred helped Bengal put up a total of 311 before the bowlers managed to earn a crucial 19-run lead. Chatterjee and opening partner Abhimanyu Easwaran then took the attack to the bowlers, scoring quick runs to extend Bengal’s lead. 

“We were in a good position after the first innings lead. The mindset was to take full toll of the loose deliveries,” he opined. 

“There was some turn and bounce on the pitch. Both their spinners were bowling well. It was about defending well and putting away the two or three balls we got,” he added. 

Chatterjee fell agonisingly short of a second consecutive century in the game when Saurabh Kumar trapped him in front with an arm-ball for 93. But, the mammoth 212-run partnership with Easwaran helped Bengal declare on the fourth morning and put UP under pressure, managing to pick up six wickets before time ran out.

“After sealing the three points with the first-innings lead, we wanted to bat well, and we set a target of playing till lunch and going for the six points. We couldn’t manage it, but it was a very good effort,” the batter said.