Ranji Trophy: Goswami double ton surges Bengal

Sreevats Goswami scored 268 runs with Bengal's last three en route to an unbeaten 225, which propelled his team to 475/9. Madhya Pradesh, in reply, is 19/1.

Sreevats Goswami hit 25 fours and three sixes in his 328-ball stay to more than double his previous best score: 112 not out.

Bengal wicketkeeper Shreevats Goswami scored a career-best unbeaten 225 in helping Bengal reach a strong 475 for nine before declaring against Madhya Pradesh, on the second day of a group A league encounter at the Palam Ground on Thursday. In reply, Madhya Pradesh was 19 for one at stumps.

Goswami hit 25 fours and three sixes in his 328-ball stay to more than double his previous best score: 112 not out. Goswami’s fine batting helped Bengal make a spectacular turnaround as it last three wickets yielded 268 after seeing its seventh fall at 207.

Shreevats shared three partnerships – of 57 runs with Pragyan Ojha (32) for the eight wicket, of 92 runs with Veer Pratap Singh (24) for the ninth – and finally had an unbeaten stand of 119 runs for the final wicket with Sayan Ghosh (20 not out).

The three partnerships scoffed at MP’s bowling attack as Bengal took the driver’s seat. Shreevats, who was dropped once at 97, did not turn back and helped Bengal reach a position from where it could easily dominate the play. Madhya Pradesh, which saw its wicketkeeper Naman Ojha missing much of the action after suffering a finger injury, lost a wicket in the very first ball when opener Aditya Shrivastava edged one back to Goswami on the bowling of Ashok Dinda.