Bengal advanced to the Ranji Trophy semifinals with an emphatic innings and 90-run victory over Andhra on Tuesday, driven by Sudip Kumar Gharami’s remarkable 299.
Starting their second innings at 64 for
three on Day 5, Andhra’s chances were slim after conceding a substantial first-innings lead of 334 runs on the fourth day.
Bengal will face Jammu and Kashmir in the semifinal from February 15, while Karnataka and Uttarakhand clash in the other semifinal.
How Bengal Beat Andhra?
On the final day, Andhra aimed to avoid outright defeat, but left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed delivered crucial blows on a fifth-day pitch, securing Bengal’s victory.
Shahbaz recorded impressive figures of 4/72, with Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal taking two wickets. Akash Deep, Sumanta Gupta, and Anustup Majumdar each claimed one wicket.
Out-of-favour India seamer Mohammed Shami, who contributed significantly to Bengal’s first-innings total of 629, bowled only three overs in Andhra’s second innings.
Nitish Kumar Reddy was the only bright spot for Andhra, scoring 90 off 144 balls with seven fours and two sixes.
Needing 270 runs to force Bengal to bat again, Andhra required a partnership between Reddy and Ricky Bhui (30). However, Bhui was dismissed by Shahbaz after adding just 12 runs to his overnight score.
Shahbaz soon took Saurabh Kumar’s wicket and then removed Reddy, finishing with excellent figures.
Tripurana Vijay (46) and Kalidindi Raju (25) added some runs, but only managed to delay the inevitable. Gupta eventually dismissed Vijay, sealing the match for Bengal.
Wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat did not bat due to an injury.
(With inputs from Agencies)
