Bengal's Ranji Trophy Hopes Dwindle with Draw Against Chhattisgarh
Ishan Porel's Ineffectiveness and Light Woes Contribute to Bengal's Struggles
Bengal could only muster one point against Chhattisgarh at Eden Gardens, further undermining their chances of advancing to the Ranji Trophy knockout round.
Bengal would have gained at least three points if they had bowled out the visitors on the last day of play for less than their declared first-inning total of 381/8. That would have given Manoj Tiwary and company some comfort when their prospects of triumph were dashed by terrible light.
However, on Monday, there was not enough light, which caused play to be delayed for almost an hour. After losing a few batsmen on the penultimate day, Bengal's bowlers still had more than 80 overs at their disposal to claim the last eight wickets of a side that was already struggling.
With the exception of Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (4/29 from 23 overs), Bengal's bowlers were sadly found lacking in terms of penetration and variety as Chhattisgarh finished the day with 214/6, needing a point to move their total to 11 points from three games.
After Round 3, Bengal, on the other hand, only have five points.
Bengal's most experienced fast, Ishan Porel, was not even close to as efficient as Jaiswal, who struck the proper spots and also managed to extract some movement on a surface that provided some help for the quicks.
Even though Mohammed Kaif had been outstanding against Uttar Pradesh in the previous game, he was unimpressive. But what appeared to hurt Bengal the most was Porel's lack of crispness. Not only did he bowl the incorrect line repeatedly throughout his 18 overs, but he was also wicketless.
Short scores: Chhattisgarh 214/6 decl. Bengal 381/8 (Ashutosh Singh 88; SS Jaiswal 4/29). Drawn match.
Mumbai and Andhra triumph.
Bengal is now sixth in group B after Mumbai and Andhra defeated Kerala and Assam, respectively.
Mumbai defeated Kerala by 232 runs to take the lead with 20 points, while Andhra secured a 172-run victory to take third place with nine points.
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