Pacer Mohammed Shami produced a fiery spell of fast bowling, grabbing four wickets to pave the way for Bengal’s emphatic eight-wicket victory over Uttarakhand in their Ranji Trophy Group C clash here on Saturday.
Resuming the final day at 165 for two with skipper Kunal Chandela batting on 68 and Bhupen Lalwani on 12, Uttarakhand lost the plot once Shami got into his rhythm.
The out-of-favour India pacer exploited the morning conditions superbly to return figures of 4 for 38 from 24.4 overs, while Akash Deep and Ishan Porel bagged two wickets apiece as the visitors were bundled out for 265.
Shami first trapped Chandela leg-before for 72 to open the floodgates, before returning to dismiss Abhay Negi, Janmejay Joshi and Rajan Kumar in a fiery post-lunch burst.
From a steady 173 for 2, Uttarakhand lost their last eight wickets for just 92 runs to be bowled out for 265.
Prashant Chopra (82) and Chandela were the only batters to show resistance, adding some respectability to Uttarakhand’s total before the innings folded up in the 97th over.
Chasing 156 for victory, Bengal cruised home in just 29.3 overs, with skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran leading from the front with a fluent 71 not out off 82 balls. He hit six shots to the fence, remaining in control of his innings and the home team's chase.
Sudip Kumar Gharami made a brisk 46 with five fours and a six, while Vishal Bhati finished unbeaten on 16 to complete the formalities.
With this win, Bengal pocketed six points to strengthen their position in the group standings.
Services win while Assam manage draw
Meanwhile, Services recorded a comprehensive innings and 20-run win over Tripura in Delhi after bowling out the rivals for a mere 163 in their second innings while following on.
Arjun Sharma returned a fifer in Services win.
In Ahmedabad, hosts Gujarat played out a draw with Assam, who started the day at a precarious 28 for three and ended the the match at 192 for six. Mukhtar Hussain (44), Sumit Ghdigaonkar (37), number nine Sibasankar Roy (39 not out) and number 10 Swarupam Purkayastha (44 not out) salvaged the draw.
Gurarat took three points on the basis of first-innings lead while Assam took home one point.
Brief Scores
In Kolkata: Uttarakhand 213 and 265 in 96.4 overs (Prashant Chopra 82, Kunal Chandela 72; Mohammed Shami 4/38, Akash Deep 2/79, Ishan Porel 2/63).
Bengal: 323 and 156/2 in 29.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 71*, Sudip Kumar Gharami 46; Rajan Kumar 1/20).
In Delhi: Services 359 all out in 133.3 overs vs Tripura 176 and 163 in 50.4 overs (following-on, Hrituraj Roy 31, M Murasingh 21, A Sarkar 35; A Sharama 5/42).
In Ahmedabad: Assam 310 and 192/6 in 82 overs (S Purkayshta 44 not out, M Hussain 44; S Drsai 2/45) vs Gujarat 382.
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