Can Sudip Chatterjee's unbeaten 77 propel Bengal against Haryana?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Rohtak, Jan 29 (NationPress) Experienced batsman Sudip Chatterjee showcased his resilience with an unbeaten 77, helping Bengal reach 168/5 in 58 overs during the curtailed opening day of their Elite Group C match in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 in Lahli, Haryana on Thursday.
Due to fog and poor lighting conditions, the entire first session was lost, but Chatterjee managed to navigate the challenging circumstances by scoring a patient half-century off 120 balls. He hit the first two boundaries of the match in the afternoon session, relying primarily on solid defence and effective strike rotation to stabilize the innings.
Unfortunately, Bengal lost Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami in quick succession to left-arm spinner Tanmay Baloda just before tea. The team faced further setbacks with the dismissals of Anustup Majumdar and Shahbaz Ahmed in the later stages of play. Sumanta Gupta was trapped lbw late in the day, leaving Bengal five wickets down at stumps.
Chatterjee faced a total of 177 balls and struck five fours, standing as the key player while Haryana's bowlers pressed on. Baloda concluded the day with three wickets, while Anshul Kamboj and Amit Rana each claimed one wicket in a day marked by a battle of attrition.
Elsewhere, at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy in Dehradun, captain Kunal Chandela scored an unbeaten 128 to lead Uttarakhand to 279/3 against Assam. He received solid support from Bhupen Lalwani, who scored 52, and Lakshya Raichandani, who remains not out on 48. For Assam, Rohit Singh took two wickets while Dipjyoti Saikia added one.
At Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala, Gujarat ended the day at 267/7 in 89.3 overs against Tripura, with skipper Manan Hingrajia making 98 not out off 255 balls. Jaymeet Patel contributed 69 while Priyesh Patel added 52, though they lost wickets in clusters. Manisankar Murasingh led the Tripura bowling attack with figures of 3-37, while Abhijit Sarkar and Sandip Sarkar each took two.
Meanwhile, at Palam A Ground in New Delhi, Services reached 174/3 in 55 overs against Railways, with Anshul Gupta scoring 101 before retiring hurt. Captain Rajat Paliwal remained unbeaten on 31, alongside Devender Lohchab, who was on 9 at stumps. Zubair Ali was the standout bowler for Railways, taking 3-43, while the rest of the team struggled to make significant breakthroughs.