An 87-run partnership between Shreevats Goswami and Amir Gani for the sixth wicket stopped Tamil Nadu from pressing for an outright victory against Bengal on the final day of the Group A Ranji Trophy clash here on Wednesday.
TN, which had taken the lead on day three, was bowled out for 354 in the third over of the day with a lead of 17 runs.
Needing to bat the day to ensure a draw, Bengal’s top order crumbled before lunch as it was reduced to 63 for four. For TN, pacer Vignesh made the first breakthrough when he removed Abhimanyu Eswaran caught at gully. Aswin Crist then struck twice in quick succession — first dismissing skipper Manoj Tiwary who offered a simple return catch and then Agniv Pan caught driving at covers.
Off-spinner Washington Sundar then trapped opener Sayan Shekhar Mondal leg before, at the stroke of lunch.
Left-arm pacer Natarajan then struck soon after lunch, removing Sudip Chatterjee to reduce Bengal to 66 for five as TN sensed a chance for an outright victory with nearly two sessions in hands.
But Goswami and Gani slowly built a partnership, nudging the ball around before attacking the spinners. The duo safely took the side to tea without any further hiccup.
Post tea, Goswami got to his fifty picking three boundaries off Aushik Srinivas. Gani too hit a few boundaries before being bowled by Aushik Srinivas while trying to reverse-sweep. But at the end, it was enough to save the day for Bengal.
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