Bengal settled scores with Madhya Pradesh as it thrashed the defending champion by 306 runs in the Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Holkar Cricket Stadium here on Sunday and booked a date with Saurashtra in the final for the second time in the last three seasons.
Pradipta Pramanik (five for 51) set the seal on Madhya Pradesh’s flailing hopes and fittingly claimed the last wicket of Gaurav Yadav as celebrations broke out amid chants of ‘ Joy Bangla (Victory to Bengal)’ with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) flag, carried onto the field for the post-match formalities, fluttered with pride.
Bengal, playing against the opponent that had beaten it in last year’s semifinal at the same venue, ensured the result wasn’t the same this time around by dominating Madhya Pradesh over the course of five days.
The hosts, pursuing a target that exceeded the highest-ever successful run-chase in the Ranji Trophy by 172 runs, started with the right intent. But that was just about how well things went for them.
Openers Himanshu Mantri and Yash Dubey set the ball rolling with a brisk 33-run stand that had the tenor of urgency but lacked substance.
When Manoj Tiwary held on to a sharp low catch in the slips off Shahbaz Ahmed to send Mantri back, Shubham Sharma’s entry at one-drop raised eyebrows, especially with Rajat Patidar (52, 58b, 2x4, 4x6) warming the bench. Shubham impressed, nevertheless, by clearing Shahbaz’s left-arm spin for a six – the first of the innings.
With Dubey and Shubham perishing trying to keep at par with the soaring required rate, the presence of Indian Premier League (IPL) stars Patidar and Venkatesh Iyer at the crease captured the imagination of a sizeable crowd.
Both batters obliged, employing the sweep to good effect in a 43-run partnership off 40 balls, which prompted captain Tiwary to briefly flaunt his sling-arm off-spin bowling.
When Patidar duly deposited his wide outside off-stump deliveries for a six and four, the Bengal skipper put paid to the experiment. But, by then, Venkatesh had been dismissed, bowled through his legs by a delivery from Pramanik that spun sharply in.
If Madhya Pradesh’s hopes were riding on Patidar, pacer Mukesh Kumar (two for 35) ensured a 548-run target remained a pipe dream for the hosts. After erring too full in the morning session, Mukesh dragged his length back after Lunch and had Patidar, who struck a run-a-ball fifty, caught at deep square-leg. A similar length knocked over Saransh Jain’s stumps and it wasn’t long before Aditya Shrivastava was run out by a direct hit.
With Avesh Khan and Kumar Kartikeya dismissed in quick succession and Bengal one step away from victory, Anubhav Agarwal (30 n.o., 12b, 1x4, 4x6) decided to elicit some cheer from the MP fans before they were silenced by the inevitable defeat.
He set his sights on Karan Lal, bowling only his second over in the match, and clubbed the off-spinner for four sixes in one over – all clean swings straight down the ground.
Taking a cue, Gaurav swung his bat across the line to clear deep square-leg but got an inside edge to the wicketkeeper as Bengal confirmed its 15th appearance in a Ranji Trophy final and took one more step towards ending its 33-year-long title drought.
Comments
SHARE