Kerala Clinches Victory Over Bengal in Ranji Trophy Clash Despite Bengal's Strong Resistance
Bengal's Hopes of Making Knockouts Dashed with Back-to-Back Defeats
On the last day of this Ranji Trophy match, Bengal fought back and didn't let up at all in a turner at Thumba (in Thiruvananthapuram). However, it proved insufficient as Kerala went on to defeat them with a 109-run victory in the match, climbing to the third spot in the group B rankings.
Bengal's chances of qualifying for the knockout round are gone after two straight losses.
It was never going to be simple for a batting lineup devoid of consistency to reach a demanding objective of 449. Bengal, who entered the game's last day two wickets behind for 77, found things much more difficult due to the changing surface.
Abhimanyu Easwaran, the opener, scored the most runs in the first innings (72), and added another fifty plus (65). However, given the circumstances, Bengal need more from Easwaran. Anustup Majumdar's tenure was also brief.
Jalaj Saxena, an all-round spinner, dismissed both batters to conclude the match with a 13-wicket total.
However, Shahbaz Ahmed (80 off 100 balls) responded with a heroic blow that did provide Bengal some hope. With skillful assistance from Karan Lal (40), Shahbaz threw caution to the breeze and undoubtedly put some pressure back on the Kerala camp.
Kerala was beginning to feel the heat till Lal was dismissed by bowler Basil Thampi, ending the partnership. Bengal's fight was essentially over at that point since they were all out for 339.
Short scores: Bengal 180 & 339 (Shahbaz Ahmed 80, Abhimanyu Easwaran 65; Jalaj Saxena 4/104), Kerala 363 & 265/6 decl. Kerala prevailed by 109 runs.
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