Bengal recover from early collapse to post 274/6 in Ranji Trophy

Bengal staged a remarkable recovery after a shaky start to reach 274 for six at stumps on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C clash against Uttarakhand at Eden Gardens. Sudip Chatterjee fell agonizingly short of a century, scoring 98, while Sumanta Gupta’s unbeaten 82 guided the hosts to a strong position, leading by 61 runs with four wickets in hand.

Bengal began the day precariously at eight for one, struggling against the fiery pace of Devendra Singh Bora, who had already claimed the wicket of skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran for a first-ball duck on Day 1. Bora continued his impressive spell, removing Sudip Kumar Gharami (15) and Anustup Majumdar (35), reducing Bengal to 63 for three before lunch.

After the break, wicketkeeper Abishek Porel added a brief 21 runs off 40 balls but soon departed, leaving Bengal teetering at 98 for four. At this critical juncture, Chatterjee and Gupta combined to craft a vital 156-run partnership for the fifth wicket, stabilizing the innings and frustrating the Uttarakhand bowling attack through the afternoon and evening sessions.

Chatterjee, a left-handed former India A batter, faced 264 deliveries, striking 12 boundaries. He ultimately fell just two runs short of a deserved century, edging Bora to slip. Gupta, in contrast, showcased calmness under pressure, remaining unbeaten on 82 off 149 balls and anchoring the lower middle order. Vishal Bhati added 15 before being dismissed by Rajan Kumar (1/45) just before stumps.

Among the visitors, Bora stood out with figures of 4/65, while left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith and seamer Abhay Negi bowled economically but went wicketless. Bengal will aim to surpass the 300-run mark on Day 3, relying on contributions from Mohammed Shami and the remaining tail-enders to build a formidable total.

Brief scores:

Uttarakhand 1st Innings: 213 all out Bengal 1st Innings: 274/6 in 92.5 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 98, Sumanta Gupta 82*; Devendra Singh Bora 4/65)

Other Matches:

Surat: Haryana 171 & 201/9 vs Railways 128 all out (Parth Vats 106, Himanshu Sangwan 4/31) Delhi: Services 359 all out vs Tripura 56/4 (Nakul Sharma 96; Swapnil K Singh 5/104) Ahmedabad:* Assam 310 all out vs Gujarat 166/0 (Sibsankar Roy 113, Abhishek 80

Bengal’s resolute batting in the face of early jitters highlights their depth and temperament as they look to capitalize further on Uttarakhand’s first-innings total.