The Ishan Porel-led Bengal pace battery gave the team a bright start by bundling out Baroda for 181 runs in the first innings on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at the Barabati Stadium here on Thursday.
In reply, Bengal was at 24 for the loss of its captain Abhimanyu Easwaran when bad light, owing to overcast conditions in the final session, stopped play.
The Bengal pacers, who utilised the morning conditions and variable bounce to ask questions frequently, backed their skipper’s decision to field by overcoming the disappointment of missing out on chances in the first hour.
J.K. Singh got a reprieve when he was dropped in the third over off Mukesh Kumar. His opening companion and captain Kedar Devdhar was caught in the first slip on 27 off an Akash Deep no-ball.
Double success
While Akash made several loud shouts, it was Ishan who extracted subtle movement to provide the breakthroughs after changing ends in the 15th over. With Baroda at 41, Devdhar was surprised by the extra bounce and looped one to gully, while P.A. Kumar was adjudged leg-before.
In his next over, Ishan got rid of Shivalik Sharma as debutant wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel pouched a low catch to his left.
Akash too struck twice in one over to dismiss Krunal Pandya and Abhimanyu Singh and Shahbaz bowled J.K. Singh to reduce Baroda to 95 for six at lunch.
Mitesh stands firm
After the fall of two more wickets, promising wicketkeeper-batter Mitesh Patel revived Baroda’s innings with an impactful 66 (104b, 6x4, 1x6) and a 55-run ninth wicket stand with Bhargav Bhatt (30 n.o., 47b, 3x4, 1x6) when conditions eased out.
Mitesh, having some resemblance with M.S. Dhoni, drove and pulled with confidence to get his boundaries as well as the ones and twos.
Bengal lost its grip before a disciplined Mukesh removed Mitesh, who was held by a diving Akash at deep point. Mukesh also took Lukman Meriwala’s wicket to wrap up the Baroda innings.
“As a bowling unit we have bowled well. We have started at the same page from where we had left off two years ago,” said Ishan.
The scores:
Baroda — 1st innings: J.K. Singh b Shahbaz 23, Kedar Devdhar c Writtick b Ishan 31, P.A. Kumar lbw b Ishan 0, Shivalik Sharma c Abhishek b Ishan 4, Krunal Pandya c Writtick b Akash 6, Abhimanyu Singh c Abhishek b Akash 0, Mitesh Patel c Akash b Mukesh 66, Dhruv Patel c Sudip Chatterjee b Ishan 5, Atit Sheth c Abhishek b Mukesh 5, Bhargav Bhatt (not out) 30, Lukman Meriwala c Anustup b Mukesh 2; Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-1, nb-2): 9; Total (in 54.2 overs): 181.
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-41, 3-47, 4-64, 5-64, 6-83, 7-109, 8-121, 9-176.
Bengal bowling: Mukesh 16.2-5-33-3, Ishan 14-3-40-4, Akash 15-1-63-2, Shahbaz 7-0-30-1, Writtick 2-0-9-0.
Bengal — 1st innings: Sudip Gharami (batting) 11, Abhimanyu Easwaran c Mitesh b Meriwala 4, Sudip Chatterjee (batting) 9; Total (for one wkt. in 13 overs): 24.
Fall of wicket: 1-5.
Baroda bowling: Meriwala 6-3-6-1, Sheth 4-1-9-0, Dhruv 1-0-2-0, Bhargav 1-0-6-0, Krunal 1-0-1-0.
Toss: Bengal.
