Bengal recorded their highest-ever successful chase in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the course of their three-wicket win over a strong Vidarbha side on Wednesday.
At the Sanosara Cricket Ground A in Rajkot, Bengal overhauled Vidarbha’s 382/5 with seven balls to spare, getting their campaign off to a fine start. This was also the fourth-highest total chased down successfully in the history of the competition.
An uphill task awaited Bengal when Vidarbha, put into bat, rode centuries from opener Aman Mokhade (110 off 99 balls) and Dhruv Shorey (136 off 125 balls) to go past 380. The pitch became even easier for batting as the game progressed, which kept Bengal’s hopes alive.
Bengal’s specialist batters also ensured they delivered on the occasion.
Openers Abishek Porel (56 off 35 balls) and skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (71 off 67 balls) gave Bengal a perfect start hammering 103 inside the first 12 overs of their reply to lay the platform.
After Porel’s dismissal, No.3 batsman Sudip Gharami (68 off 49 balls) maintained the tempo, forging partnerships of 63 and 57 for the second and third wickets with Easwaran and Anustup Majumdar (33 off 35 balls), respectively, which kept Bengal in the game.
At one point, Bengal had slipped to 279/6 in the 39th over from 237/3 in the
31st. It was up to Shahbaz Ahmed then if Bengal had to cross the line.
The spinner all-rounder, who was selected for the last two T20Is against South Africa in place of Axar Patel, unleashed his shots when it mattered and was well supported by pacer Akash Deep (38 not out off 24 balls) in their match-winning stand of 93.
Shahbaz hit six boundaries and a maximum in his 58-ball 71.
“It was a total team effort, but our celebrations can wait as we still have plenty of work to do,” head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said.
Also, Mohammed Shami conceding only 14 off his first five overs allowed Vidarbha just 48 in the first 10 overs, which too had a role to play in Bengal’s victory.
Brief scores: Vidarbha 382/5 in 50 overs (Aman Mokhade 110, Dhruv Shorey 136; Mohammed Shami 2/65). Bengal 383/7 in 48.5 ovs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 71, Shahbaz Ahmed 71). Bengal won by 3 wickets.