Kolkata: A superb six-wicket haul by Devendra Singh Bora and composed batting, led by Prashant Chopra and skipper Kunal Chandela, helped Uttarakhand fight back strongly against Bengal on Day 3 of their Ranji Trophy Group C clash here Friday.
Resuming at 274 for 6, Bengal were bowled out for 323, thanks largely to Bora’s fiery spell that fetched him career-best figures of 6 for 79.
The right-arm seamer struck twice in quick succession in the morning session, removing overnight batter Sumanta Gupta for 82, and later accounting for Akash Deep to complete his six-wicket haul.
Gupta’s dismissal ended Bengal’s hopes of stretching their total beyond 350, as the last four wickets fell for just 49 runs.
In reply, Uttarakhand showed remarkable grit with the bat, reaching 165 for 2 at stumps to lead by 55 runs.
After the early loss of opener Avneesh Sudha (1), who edged to slips off Akash Deep, senior pro Prashant Chopra (82) and captain Kunal Chandela (68 off 203 balls) added 146 runs for the second wicket, frustrating the Bengal attack on a slow and lifeless surface.
Chopra was the aggressor, hitting 10 boundaries in his fluent knock before falling lbw to Vishal Bhati in the final session.
Chandela, meanwhile, played the anchor role to perfection and was unbeaten alongside Bhupen Lalwani (12 not out) at close of play.
Shami goes wicket-less
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Senior pacer Mohammed Shami was disciplined, conceding just 21 runs in 15 overs but he did not get any breakthroughs for the hosts. In the first innings also he could get wickets only in the latter half of the day, while bowling to lower-order batters.
With eight wickets in hand and a long batting day ahead, Uttarakhand will now look to extend their lead and ensure they walk out with a draw.
Haryana seal win inside 3 days
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Meanwhile, in Surat, Haryana beat Railways by a comprehensive 96-run margin with Parth Vats hitting an unbeaten 110. Defending 248, Haryana bundled out Railways for 152.
Brief Scores:
At Kolkata: Bengal 1st innings: 323 all out in 108.5 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 98, Sumanta Gupta 82; Devendra Singh Bora 6/79)
Uttarakhand: 213 and 165/2 in 67 overs (Prashant Chopra 82, Kunal Chandela 68 batting; Akash Deep 1/39, Vishal Bhati 1/39).
In Surat: Haryana 171 and 205 in 65 overs (Parth Vats 110 not out, Himanshu Sangwan 4/35, Kunal Yadav 4/52) vs Railways 128 and 152 all out in 49.4 overs (Suraj Ahuja 44, Vibesk Singh 44; Nikhil Kashyap 5/53, Nishant Sindhu 4/35).
In Delhi: Services 359 all out in 133.3 overs vs Tripura 176 and 114/7 in 42 overs (Follow-on)
In Ahmedabad: Assam 310 and 28/3 in 17 overs vs Gujarat 382 (Aarya Desai 101, Abhishek Desai 96; Riyan Parag 4/86, Rahul Singh 4/93).
