Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Bengal are struggling to avoid an innings defeat after being reduced to 105 for six in their second innings against Railways on the third day of their final Ranji Trophy Super League match here Friday, to trail by 39 runs.Railways, who made 345 runs in the first innings earlier in the day, now are looking at a quarterfinal berth as the win at the Karnail Singh Stadium would give them five points and take their tally to 16.

At the end of third day’s play, Bengal were still trailing by 39 runs with Laxmi Ratan Shukla batting on 31 and Ranadeb Bose 7.

With four wickets in hand, and opener Arindam Das highly unlikley to bat due to an injury, the visitors will find it tough to make Railways bat again. Bengal were bowled out for 201 runs in their first innings.

Railways resumed at the overnight 250 for six and Dhiran Salvi top-scored with an unbeaten 81. He was involved in two crucial partnerships with Jai Prakash Yadav (24) and Nilesh Chauhan (26).

With Yadav, Salvi stitched a 50-run partnership in the first session of the day and was also involved in a 47-run stand with Chauhan for the ninth wicket that helped Railways cross the 300-run mark.

Salvi hit some crisp shots on both sides of the wicket and kept the scoreboard moving even as he lost partners. He smashed eight fours and a six in his 181-ball unbeaten innings.

For the second successive day, the Bengal spinners failed to make any impact on a turning track. The Railways spinners, however, got some sharp turn during the day and took three wickets.

Though Bengal’s left-arm spinner Iresh Saxena managed three wickets, including those of Yadav and Chauhan, to end with figures of five for 78, it hardly made any difference as Railways took a 144-run lead.

Bengal started the chase on a disastrous note as their regular opener Das was ruled out with an injury on the right hand while fielding on the first day.

Geetimoy Basu (19), who scored a half-century in the first innings, and makeshift opener Anustup Majumdar (3), fell to Yadav’s (2-12) medium pace. Basu was trapped leg before in the seventh over while Majumdar’s stumps were rattled after he danced down to charge Yadav.

Captain Manoj Tiwary (17) was trapped leg before after he attempted an atrocious sweep off veteran left-arm spinner Murali Kartik (2-30) and former India captain Sourav Ganguly (7) was again bowled by Anureet Singh.