Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Bengal clinches innings victory against Punjab; gives fitting farewell to Saha
Ranji Trophy 2024-25: Bengal clinches innings victory against Punjab; gives fitting farewell to Saha
Suraj Jaiswal claimed his second four-wicket haul as Bengal trounced Punjab by an innings and 13 runs in its final Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C match and gave a fitting farewell to Wriddhiman Saha at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.
Bengal secured seven points from the match to finish the group stage with 21 points but could not make it to the knockout stage.
Following a delayed start of an hour due to bad light on the third day, Punjab, still behind by 88 runs, began from its overnight score of 64 for three in 21 overs to be all out for 139, adding 75 runs at the expense of seven wickets in 14.4 overs.
Jaiswal provided the breakthrough in the fourth over of the day as Sudip Chatterjee took a fine catch in the slips.
In his next over, Jaiswal struck again to remove first innings’ centurion Anmol Malhotra. The wicketkeeper-batter, who lasted for two deliveries, was caught behind while chasing a delivery.
Sumit Mohanta dealt a double blow by accounting for overnight batter Anmolpreet Singh and Aradhya Shukla in the very next over. Abishek Porel took both the catches behind the stumps.
Captain Mayank Markande played a breezy knock (31, 25b, 6×4) to emerge as the top-scorer. He pulled Jaiswal and Abishek, posted at short midwicket after handing over the wicketkeeper’s role to his outgoing teammate Saha, jumped to take his sixth catch of the innings.
Mohammed Kaif dismissed Sahil Khan, and man-of-the-match Jaiswal, who scored his maiden century on Friday, scalped the big-hitting Gurnoor Brar to help Bengal end the season on a positive note.
