Bengal beat Railways by three wickets at Siliguri

Staff Reporter

December 1, 2002

An unbeaten 41 from all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal complete a memorable comeback win against defending Ranji Trophy champions Railways at Siliguri on Saturday. Chasing 154 for victory after dismissing Railways for 129 in their second innings on the third day, Bengal reached the target with three wickets to spare. Debang Gandhi, who made 37, and opener Deep Dasgupta with 29 were the two other batsmen who played a part in setting up the win that earned Bengal two points.

Rajasthan's 159-run first innings lead proved vital in gaining them a four-wicket win on the final day of their elite group encounter against Hyderabad at Jaipur. Hyderabad, who began the day on 226-4, were eventually dismissed for 350 in their second essay; opener Daniel Manohar the top-scorer, making 101 before being run out. For Rajasthan, off-spinner Rahul Kanwat claimed 5-37.

Kanwat (41) along with opener Gagan Khoda (51) and captain PK Krishnakumar (43*), then, ensured that their team reached the victory target of 192 with four wickets and a little over four overs to spare despite a four-wicket haul from opposing skipper Venkatapathy Raju. The hosts were rewarded with two points for their efforts.

A monumental effort from opener Sandeep Sharma helped Himachal Pradesh gain a nerve-wracking draw against Delhi in another elite group four-dayer at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Sharma, who began the day on 25*, went on to make 170 off 354 balls with 24 fours and two sixes, before falling to the last ball of the day, as his side ended the final day at 336-8 in their second innings. Virender Sharma (48), who shared a crucial 90-run sixth wicket partnership with Sharma, also played a role in ensuring that Delhi only got one point from the match (for earning a 262-run first innings lead).

At Guwahati, Punjab went on to complete a comeback win against Assam. The hosts, who began the day chasing 286 runs, wilted against the spin of Navdeep Singh (5-59) to be dismissed for 196 in 79 overs. The margin of defeat might have been much larger if it had not been to the spirited efforts of Kiran Powar (55) and Manoj Joglekar (49). Punjab walked away with two points for the win.

At Chennai, meanwhile, Tamil Nadu earned a lucky draw against Uttar Pradesh. An umpiring error, which saw the match being called off twelve minutes before the scheduled close, denied the visiting Uttar Pradesh team an opportunity to end a frustrating 34-ball last-wicket stand between Laxmipathy Balaji (3*) and MR Shrinivas (14*). The duo's hung on grimly to ensure that Tamil Nadu, who were set a target of 298, staved off defeat by ending on 194-9. Uttar Pradesh, however, did not have to leave empty-handed; they got one point for having earned a 44-run first innings lead.

Mumbai, for their part, completed an innings and 72-run win over Andhra Pradesh at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday morning. With left-arm spinner Nilesh Kulkarni claiming four wickets, the hosts dismissed Andhra, who resumed their second essay on 133-7, for just 184 to claim three points, including a bonus point, from the match. For the visitors, Hemal Vatekar waged a lone battle, ending on 75 not out. Mumbai now have seven points from three matches as against Andhra's tally of just one.

Kerala thrash Tripura at Kochi

The plate group encounter between the two sides ended 14 minutes before lunch on the fourth day. Tripura, who after being asked to follow-on were 62-3 at the end of the third day, capitulated to 139 all out in their second essay as Kerala completed an innings and 148-run win. Opener R Deb Burman, who made 58, was the only batsman to put up any resistance against spinners KN Ananthapadmanabhan (leg-spin) and Suresh Kumar (left-arm spin), both of whom ended up with three wickets each. Kerala now have won all their three group matches and are on the verge of clinching a semi-final berth.

At Nagpur, hosts Vidarbha emerged winners, thrashing Goa by 203 runs. The visitors, who began the final day at 10-1, chasing 369 for victory, were dismissed for a paltry 165. Spinners Pritam Gandhe (5-33) and Madhusudhan Acharya (3-65) were the wreckers-in-chief. Vidarbha, after gaining two points for the win, now have three points from as many matches while Goa have only one.

The Haryana-Maharashtra match at Rohtak was one of the few drawn matches on the day. Maharashtra, who resumed their second innings at 124-2 declared after notching 262-4; Abhijit Kale completing his second century of the match, reaching 104 not out of 211 balls.

Chasing 276 for an improbable win, Haryana settled for a draw, making 121-4 before stumps were drawn. Maharashtra secured one point for having gained a slender 13-run lead on the third day.

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