The onus is on the bowlers again to secure Bengal a win in their second Ranji Trophy group phase clash versus Hyderabad.

A lower-order collapse restricted Bengal to 201 in their second innings on the penultimate day of the game at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. Their bowlers, though, have again responded well as they reduced Hyderabad to 16 for 3 at stumps on Saturday.

Senior pro Mukesh Kumar and his pace colleagues, Akash Deep and Ishan Porel, took a wicket each after Hyderabad were set a target of 239.

“The pitch here stays lively every morning. So it will be crucial for us to exploit that and strike in the first hour tomorrow (Sunday),” Bengal head coach Arun Lal said.

Promising wicketkeeper-batsman Abishek Porel couldn’t even open his account in Bengal’s second innings, but all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed’s crisp 51, and contributions from Ritwik Roy Chowdhury (41) and Anustup Majumdar (42) helped Bengal cross 200. But they lost their last five wickets for just 18, and these collapses in Bengal’s batting keep the management worried.

Brief scores: Bengal 242 & 201 (S. Ahmed 51; T. Thyagarajan 3/44, T. Varma 3/13). Hyderabad 205 & 16/3. At stumps, Day III