Bengal Crush Andhra by an Innings and 90 Runs to Enter Ranji Trophy Semifinals

Bengal stormed into the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy after a commanding innings and 90-run victory over Andhra , anchored by Sudip Kumar Gharami's monumental 299 .

Resuming their second innings at 64 for 3 on Day 5 , Bengal had already built an unassailable lead of 334 runs on the fourth day. Shahbaz Ahmed was instrumental in sealing the win on a fifth-day pitch, taking 4/72 , supported by Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal’s two wickets . Akash Deep, Sumanta Gupta, and Anustup Majumdar contributed with a wicket each.

India pacer Mohammed Shami , part of Bengal’s huge first-innings total of 629 , bowled only three overs in Andhra’s second innings. Nitish Kumar Reddy was the lone resistance for Andhra, scoring 90 off 144 balls with seven fours and two sixes. Andhra required a significant partnership between Reddy and skipper Ricky Bhui (30) , but Bhui was dismissed by Shahbaz after adding just 12 runs overnight. Shahbaz then removed Saurabh Kumar and Reddy , finishing with excellent figures.

Tripurana Vijay ( 46 ) and Kalidindi Raju ( 25 ) offered minor resistance, but Sumanta Gupta’s wicket of Vijay sealed the match. Wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat did not bat due to injury.

Bengal will face Jammu and Kashmir in the semifinals from February 15 , while Karnataka take on Uttarakhand in the other semifinal clash.