Shahbaz Ahmed produced one other spectacular all-round efficiency to take Bengal to the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy on the third day of their quarterfinal match in opposition to Jharkhand right here on Thursday.
Batting at No.6, left-hander Ahmed scored 81 off 120 balls (9×4, 2×6), serving to Bengal publish 328 of their first innings to take a wholesome first-innings lead of 155 runs.
At stumps on the third day, Jharkhand had been solely seven runs forward, their second innings being 162 for seven. A complete of 11 wickets fell on the third day.
The lower-order Jharkhand batsmen are actually grappling with the inevitable delay with two extra days left within the recreation.
Ahmed, a left-arm spin bowling all-rounder, additionally made an impression with the ball in his second innings, dismissing Anukul Roy (40) and Jharkhand captain Virat Singh (29).
Opener Aryaman Sen put up a lone combat for Jharkhand with a half-century (64 off 132 balls) however Ishan Porel dismissed him brilliantly on the finish of the day with a bouncer.
KOLKATA: Jharkhand batsman Virat Singh performs a shot through the third day of the Ranji Trophy quarter-final cricket match between Bengal and Jharkhand at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Thursday, February 2, 2023. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mohapatra)(PTI02_02_2023_000205A)
It was a whole batting failure for Jharkhand as solely three batsmen bought to double-digit figures with Aryaman, Anukul Roy after which Singh stitching two half-centuries.
The match may have ended on the third day itself had it not been for some poor catching by Bengal as they dropped three sitters together with two for captain Tiwary off Ahmed, who ended the day with bowling figures of 12-2-38. 2.
Shahbaz Nadeem was unbeaten on 4 off 13 balls, smashing Porel by means of the duvet boundary to offer Jharkhand a small total lead. Supriyo Chakraborty was supporting him on the time of stumps, scoring 5 runs in 19 balls.
It additionally meant that Jharkhand escaped an innings defeat, however they had been left to combat for 2 extra days with Rahul Shukla and Ashish Kumar opening the batting.
Earlier, beginning the day at 238 for 5, Bengal misplaced wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel (33) and added simply eight runs to their in a single day complete.
The left-handed batsman, who regarded fluent, abruptly misplaced his focus and was caught behind after enjoying a free shot.
Second in a single day batsman Shahbaz, nonetheless, didn’t put a foot improper and performed an aggressive innings on his method to his tenth half-century.
Bengal would have regarded to increase their lead a bit extra however Akash Deep failed to supply his lower-order fireworks and was run out in tandem with Ahmed.
“Our bowlers put up a good fight. But we need to stick to our plans and get them out early and chase it down. Anything is possible in cricket, so we have to be on top of our game tomorrow,” mentioned Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla.
There could possibly be a repeat of final season’s semi-final between Bengal and Madhya Pradesh if the latter beat Andhra in Indore.
Bengal has reached the semi-finals 3 times within the earlier 5 seasons. They reached the ultimate in 2019–20 the place they misplaced to Saurashtra. The 2020–21 Ranji season was canceled as a result of COVID-19 pandemic.
Brief Score: Jharkhand: 173 and 162 for 7 in 48 overs (Aryaman Sen 64, Anukul Roy 40; Akash Deep 2/25, Akash Ghatak 2/19, Shahbaz Ahmed 2/38), Bengal: 328 in 108 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 81, Abhimanyu Easwaran 77, Sudeep Gharami 68, Abhishek Porel 33; Ashish Kumar 3/89, Rahul Shukla 2/65, Supriyo Chakraborty 2/87). Jharkhand Seven runs lead.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
