More than two sessions were lost due to rain and bad light, but the chances of getting a result in Bengal’s Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Maharashtra are still high.
When bad light forced early stumps at Eden Gardens on Day 3, Bengal were 76/4 in the second innings, holding a one-run lead over Maharashtra.
Starting on their overnight score of 207/9, Maharashtra added 11 more runs to stretch their first-innings lead to 75 before Pradeep Dadhe was trapped leg before by Mohammed Shami. In the context of the match, shortened heavily by bad light on the first two days and then rain on Wednesday, this was more than a sizeable lead for Maharashtra. However, the Eden pitch kept playing mind games with Bengal as they lost four wickets to keep open every chance of an outright result.
First to go was Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, caught behind by Dadhe in the fifth over. A small resistance was growing, but Tanay Sanghavi – he salvaged Maharashtra’s first innings with a brilliant unbeaten 60, his maiden first-class fifty – dismissed Sudip Gharami and Sudip Chatterjee in the space of four balls in the 10th over to leave Bengal wobbling.
Ankur Paul, who made his debut this season, then tried to rebuild the innings with a patient 32 off 59 balls before he too was dismissed. Abhishek Porel is batting on 23, but given the circumstances, Bengal will need something special from their lower order to challenge Maharashtra with a target they will feel they can defend. Right now though, Maharashtra hold the upper hand as they go into the last day.
Brief scores: Bengal 143 & 76/4 (A Paul 32, T Sanghavi 2/22) v Maharashtra 218 in 82.5 ovs (T Sanghavi 60*, P Dadhe 27, M Shami 4/37, S Ahmed 3/39).