Manoj Tiwary in action during the Ranji Trophy match against Assam at the NF Railway Stadium in Maligaon on Saturday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Guwahati: A career-best haul of seven for 93 by left-arm spinner Anand Katti was not enough for Assam as visitors Bengal took a 121-run first innings lead and then reduced the hosts to 114 for five at the end of second day’s play in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group B match at NF Railway Stadium in Maligaon here on Saturday.

Resuming at 118 for five, in-form batsman Manoj Tiwary anchored the Bengal innings with a patient 101 — his back-to-back century of the season after having scored 109 in the first innings against Tripura last week in Calcutta — to help the visitors pile up 207 in 74.1 overs on a slow turning track. Assam were skittled out for 86 in their first innings.

Manoj shared a 50-run stand with overnight partner Avik Chowdhury (28, 4x2) before the latter was trapped leg before by Katti when the scoreboard read 149 in the 53rd over. Bengal started losing wickets at regular intervals since then to Assam’s spinners to be all out 30 minutes before lunch.

Manoj, the last to fall, played 174 deliveries and hit six boundaries and a six during his innings. He looked unhappy after being bowled while negotiating a slow delivery from Katti.

“It was definitely a good innings… I have played in such a challenging condition. There was uneven bounce and slow turn. But, I am not happy to get out on such a slower delivery,” he said after scoring his eighth first class century.

He, however, complimented the 36-year old Katti for his impressive bowling. Before Saturday’s performance, the Karnataka bowler’s best figures were five for 25 against Goa at the Nehru Stadium here in the 2006-07 season.

Manoj, who has played for India in a one-dayer, said: “I am very happy with my conversion rate. At one time, I used to be out for 40s and 50s, but now I feel confident and hope it stands me in good stead in future battles.”

He felt Bengal were in the driver’s seat, and expected that they would not have to chase more than 70 runs in the second innings.

He, however, admitted it would be difficult to chase a target of 200 or above in the second innings given the condition of the pitch.

Katti also had a similar opinion when he said: “A target of 150 in the second innings could be defended. We can easily bowl out the opponents within 150 in the second innings.”

Acknowledging that the wicket was helping the slow bowlers, Katti appreciated the support he enjoyed from off-spinners Arlen Konwar and Swarupam Purkayastha, who bowled quite tightly.

Asked about his most satisfactory scalp, Katti said: “It was the wicket of (skipper) Laxmi Ratan Shukla (whom he caught off his own bowling on Friday afternoon).

He is an experienced batsman and if he had been able to set up a partnership with Tiwary, it would have been a bigger score for them.”

The hosts’ second innings started shakily once again with opener Mrigen Talukdar throwing away his wicket. Skipper Rashmi Ranjan Parida and the seasoned Jacob Martin fell prey to seamer Ashok Dinda and left-arm spinner Iresh Saxena respectively soon after lunch.

Opener Palash Jyoti Das (41, 4x2) and Deepak Sharma (32, 4x1, 6x2) looked set before Das mistimed a Ritam Kundu turner to be caught by Arindam Ghosh. Sharma, however, notched up a 42-run fifth wicket stand with allrounder Swarupam Purkayastha before the former gifted his wicket to Ranadeb Bose, misreading a slower delivery to be caught at mid-on by Kundu.

Purkayastha was at the crease on 21 (4x1) with Dhiraj Goswami at the other end at the draw of stumps.

The day’s play was called off 15 minutes earlier than schedule due to insufficient light.