Saurashtra takes firm grip as Unadkat, Sakariya grab 2 wickets each

KOLKATA: Saurashtra look poised to lift its second Ranji Trophy after skipper Jaydev Unadkat and Chetan Sakariya grabbed two wickets each to leave host Bengal struggling at 169 for four in its second innings on day three of the final at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.

While Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary remained unbeaten on 57, the host is still 61 runs short of Saurashtra’s first-innings total of 404, and with both Saurashtra left-arm pace bowlers breathing fire, Unadkat’s side could well wrap up the game on Sunday.

Bengal’s pace-heavy attack looked ineffective in the morning as Saurashtra, continuing from where it had left on Friday evening -- 317/5 -- added 87 more runs to take its score past 400.

Though overnight batters Arpit Vasavada (81) and Chirag Jani (60) perished quickly, tail-enders Prerak Mankad (33) and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja (29) gave Saurashtra the winning edge. To add to Bengal’s woes, it gave away 35 extras.

Coming in to bat in the second innings, Bengal had a harrowing start with the pace duo of Sakariya (2/50) and Unadkat (2/47) rattling the top-order to reduce it to 47/3 in the post-lunch session.

Still trailing by 183 runs, an innings defeat loomed large when the veteran duo of Anustup Majumdar (61) and Tiwary came together and gave the 1,000-odd fans some hope with their 99-run partnership.

At close, Shahbaz Ahmed (13 batting) was giving Tiwary company at the crease.

Bengal can only hope for a magical turnaround in quest of its maiden Ranji Trophy title in 32 years.

The onus is on Tiwary and Shahbaz, the last recognised batting pair for Bengal, to make an improbable turnaround.

Earlier pace bowler Mukesh Kumar emerged the most successful Bengal bowler on Saturday, finishing with figures of 4/111 and getting rid of both well-set overnight batters Vasavada and Jani.

Having managed just three wickets on Friday, the much-vaunted Bengal attack wrapped up Saurashtra’s last five wickets in two hours and six minutes in the first session on Saturday. But it seemed too little, too late as the host bowlers had allowed Saurashtra to take its score past 400.

Vasavada failed to add to his overnight total of 81 and nicked an away-going delivery. Jani was dismissed when Mukesh got the ball to swing away after pitching. The ball made a feather-touch contact with Jani’s bat and sailed to the wicket-keeper.

Akash Deep hit the deck hard to bounce out Prerak Mankad with a ball that sharply cut back in and clipped the batter’s gloves.

BRIEF SCORES: Bengal 174 & 169/4 in 53 overs (A Majumdar 61, M Tiwary 57 batting) vs Saurashtra 404 in 110 overs (A Vasavada 81, C Jani 60, S Jackson 59, H Desai 50, M Kumar 4/111, I Porel 3/86, A Deep 3/111)