Pratik Mehta in action at the Eden on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: Bengal were left struggling at 27 for one at close on the second day after Saurashtra had declared at 650 for nine in their Ranji Trophy match at the Eden on Wednesday.

With the pitch playing true and showing no signs of wear and tear, Bengal are hoping that they manage to play out the remaining two days and snatch a point.

Bengal were left to play out the final hour after the visitors frustrated the home bowlers for most part of the day. Rohan Banerjee was the victim of a doubtful decision after facing just eight balls.

The opener, who scored a century in Bengal’s previous match against Karnataka, was given out caught behind off Sandip Jobanputra. Umpire K. Srinath wasn’t sure whether the ball had carried to the wicketkeeper, and consulted leg umpire Samir Bandekar before giving the ruling after a long while.

The Bengal camp wasn’t happy with the decision and made their displeasure clear. “Unfortunate,” was how captain Manoj Tiwary termed the dismissal.

Up against a massive total, it will be a tough task for Bengal to negotiate the Saurashtra bowling. Partnerships will be the key and the batsmen need to show loads of patience and application to survive the third and fourth days.

The start was enterprising for the hosts with the early dismissals of Chesteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja. Tiwary didn’t waste an opportunity to take the new ball and achieved success almost immediately.

Pujara was bowled by Ranadeb Bose’s off cutter for 84. Then as Ashok Dinda pitched short, Jadeja went for the hook and ended up in the hands of Ranadeb at deep fine leg. Jadeja’s 32 included three boundaries.

Sitangshu Kotak and Pratik Mehta then got together to thwart the Bengal bowlers. The experienced Kotak played second fiddle as Mehta went about the task of scoring. Kotak took 119 minutes for his 44.

Sourav Ganguly was missing from the field for an hour and 10 minutes in the first session because of a stiff back. Avishek Jhunjhunwala took his place on the field. As a result, the former India captain was barred from bowling before lunch. However, as it turned out, he did not bowl on the day.

Bengal had to do with ten men for one over during that period after the umpires declined another replacement, once Dinda was forced to take a ‘comfort break’.

The Bengal bowlers fizzled out once the early morning moisture evaporated. Sourasish Lahiri was made to share the bulk of the workload with Rohan Gavaskar providing him some support at the other end.

Sourasish returned the most successful bowler (three for 162) but was hardly penetrating on this slow and low surface. He, though, stuck to a definite line and made the batsmen pay for their mistakes.

Ranadeb certainly bowled a better line on Wednesday, while Dinda failed to keep up his good showing on the opening day.

After Sourasish removed both Kotak and Mehta, tail-enders Jobanputra and Sandip Maniar were engaged in an entertaining 65-run partnership. They took on the tired bowlers with disdain as the hosts waited for the declaration.

Maniar, who scored 37 off 32 balls, hit Gavaskar for two sixes in one over. Jobanputra, who remained not out on 45 off 50 balls, was also aggressive.