Patient Bengal eke out nine-wicket win against Delhi

Kalyani: Bengal's spinners put in a patient performance to help their side beat Delhi by nine wickets and pocket six points from their first Ranji Trophy group league match here on Wednesday.

Seven wickets were shared among Amir Gani (2/84), Pradipta Pramanik (3/72) and Sumanta Gupta (2/20) as Bengal shot out Delhi for 277 before chasing down 89 in just 15.3 overs, riding solid knocks from captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (34 no) and debutante Ankur Paul, who hit 38.

The surface frustrated the bowlers throughout the match, and at times Bengal seemed destined to spend the day labouring towards a draw. Instead, a combination of persistence, tactical adjustments and a few crucial errors from Delhi turned the contest around.

Ayush Badoni and Anuj Rawat started the day keen to apply themselves. But the first breakthrough for Bengal came at the end of the first hour, when Rawat tried to unnecessarily reverse sweep Gani and got bowled from behind his legs. Had he not attempted that shot, Delhi would have finished the first session on a stronger note.

With a massive six over long on off Pradipta Pramanik in the 72nd over, Yash Dhull ensured Bengal had to bat again. It was an unexpected turn of events, but not entirely surprising considering the placid pitch that the bowlers have been moaning about.

Bengal toiled away until Mukesh Kumar moved his line toward Yash Dhull, placing a leg slip in position about 20 minutes before lunch. The intention was clear: Bengal was leaving no option unchecked, but the pitch had become too unresponsive by then. Badoni's aggression was also key to this resilience, often stepping out, sweeping and driving with aplomb. He reached 50 in 74 balls, and a century seemed destined.

Last over before lunch, however, Easwaran punted with Sumanta Gupta’s part-time spin. Second ball, he got the ball to turn, prompting Dhull to pad it, but the ball still managed to kiss his gloves on its way to Easwaran at first slip. Dhull immediately signalled there was no touch, but the umpire slowly raised his finger in the face of a strong appeal.

Pressure on Badoni increased with that wicket, as Delhi went into lunch leading only by 10 runs.

Fourth over after lunch, Badoni folded. Pramanik went over the wicket, angling the ball across Badoni, who nudged at it hesitantly, giving a low catch by Easwaran at first slip. Gone for 85, Badoni left Delhi hanging on to a 24-run lead. But Divij Mehra scored a vigilant 21, and Navdeep Saini resisted with a 70-ball 20 to push Delhi to 277, leaving Bengal needing 89 to win.