Bengal kicked off their Ranji Trophy Group C journey with an impressive nine-wicket victory against Delhi, while Gujarat mirrored their success by securing a dominant 10-wicket win over Odisha.
In their match on Wednesday in Kalyani, Bengal chased down a target of 89 runs in just 15.3 overs, concluding their encounter against Delhi with a convincing performance. Delhi had set a second-innings total of 277 after starting at 101 for three.
Key Highlights
- Bengal triumphed over Delhi by nine wickets in their Group C opener.
- Delhi captain Ayush Badoni fought valiantly, scoring 85 runs in the second innings, but Bengal’s bowlers kept them in check.
- Pradipta Pramanik was Bengal’s standout bowler, taking three wickets in the second innings.
- Simultaneously, Gujarat achieved a commanding 10-wicket victory over Odisha, with Siddharth Desai picking up five wickets.
- The match between Jharkhand and Kerala in Jamshedpur concluded in a draw.
On the final day of their match, Delhi’s innings ended at 277, with Badoni scoring 85 runs off 134 balls, including ten boundaries. Anuj Rawat also made a notable contribution with 39 runs from 76 deliveries.
Bengal had previously established a significant first-innings lead by scoring 429 runs in response to Delhi’s 240. They needed just 15.3 overs to chase down the target of 89, finishing at 89 for one.
Despite a shaky start, with Delhi losing three wickets for just 59 runs, Badoni and Rawat formed a vital partnership to stabilize their innings. However, once Badoni was dismissed by Pramanik, caught by Abhimanyu Easwaran, Delhi struggled to recover.
After Badoni’s departure, the wickets fell quickly for Delhi, with notable contributions from Dev Lakra (13) and Hrithik Shokeen (8) before they were dismissed. Divij Mehra managed to score 21 runs, while Navdeep Saini remained not out on 20. Pramanik led the bowling for Bengal, supported by Aamir Gani and Sumanta Gupta, who each took two wickets.
In their chase, Bengal lost Ankur Paul early, who scored 38 runs off 41 balls, but captain Easwaran remained not out on 34 runs, supported by Sudip Gharami, who added 16 runs to guide Bengal to victory smoothly.
In Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s Siddharth Desai shone brightly against Odisha, taking five wickets for 36 runs, leading to a swift collapse of the Odisha batting lineup. Gujarat, after bowling out Odisha for 161 runs, had a mere target of 47, which they achieved without losing a wicket in just 9.3 overs.
Sandeep Pattnaik was the top scorer for Odisha with 65 runs, while Ninad Rathva added 53. Desai’s performance marked his 16th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, complemented by Arzan Nagwaswalla, who also excelled with six wickets across both innings.
Meanwhile, the match between Jharkhand and Kerala resulted in a draw, with Jharkhand earning three points for having the first-innings lead.
