Led by Mohammed Shami, Bengal did have Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by the scruff of the neck midway into the second day of the Ranji Trophy semi-final clash in Kalyani. But skipper Paras Dogra (58) and Abdul Samad (82) came up with a resistance that helped the visitors fight back, as they reached 198/5 at Stumps on Monday.

The scenario could have been better for Bengal had wicketkeeper Shakir Habib Gandhi not spilt a chance when Samad was on 34, with Mukesh Kumar being the unlucky bowler.

Bengal, resuming on 249/5, ended their first innings at 328 with centurion Sudip Gharami finishing on 146, adding only 10 to his overnight score. For sure, Bengal would have liked to add a few more to their total, or cross 350 at least.

But that didn’t happen as, following Gharami’s dismissal off Auqib Nabi (5/87), who trapped the centurion LBW, Bengal were reduced to 298/8. And it was purely because of Sumanta Gupta’s breezy knock (39 off 36 balls) that Bengal could go past 320. For Gharami too, it was an opportunity to score a 150-plus at least and make an impression before national selectors Shib Sunder Das and Ajay Ratra, who have been present at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in the first couple of days.

At the start of J&K’s reply, the 328-run total seemed bigger as Bengal had their opponents reeling at 13/3. Though the decision to give J&K’s No. 3 batter Shubham Pundir out was under a tad controversial circumstances, pacers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh had made the going quite tough for the visiting side.

But that’s when Dogra and Samad, who threw caution to the winds, stitched an aggressive fourth-wicket stand of 143. With Samad playing in limited-overs style and bringing up his half-century at a strike rate of over 100, J&K were scoring at four runs an over, putting the pressure right back on Bengal.

Fortunately for Bengal, late in the day’s final session, Samad’s mistimed hit earned Shami his third wicket of the innings before Mukesh picked up his second in Dogra. From 156/3, J&K had again slipped to 156/5, with the momentum back with Bengal.

The home team would certainly have wished for one more wicket before Stumps, but they have been kept at bay so far by Kanhaiya Wadhawan (10 batting) and Abid Mushtaq (26 batting). The duo have added 42 so far for the sixth wicket.

Brief scores: Bengal 328 (Sudip Gharami 146; Auqib Nabi 5/87). Jammu and Kashmir 198/5 (Abdul Samad 82, Paras Dogra 58; Mohammed Shami 3/60). At Stumps, Day II.