Uncapped left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, who was part of the Test squad against Bangladesh, dismissed fellow India prospect Abhimanyu Easwaran early but Bengal recovered through a century from Sudip Chatterjee and Sudip Gharami's 90 to post 269/7 against Uttar Pradesh on Day I of their Ranji Trophy Group C match.
Opting to bat, Bengal had a shaky start when Dayal removed in-form Easwaran for just 5 in the fifth over.
Abhimanyu, fresh from three consecutive centuries in the Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup, edged one from Dayal to wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal.
However Chatterjee, returning to Bengal after a stint with Tripura, showed immense resolve. He forged a crucial 198-run second-wicket partnership with Gharami, helping Bengal recover from the early setback.
Chatterjee played a patient knock of 116 from 227 balls, hitting nine fours and a six. Gharami, equally impressive, contributed 90 off 161 balls, laced with 11 boundaries and a six.
Just as Bengal seemed to be in control at 212/1, the innings faltered.
The collapse began when debutant leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam dismissed Bengal captain Anustup Majumdar for 1, triggering a slide that saw Bengal lose six wickets for just 57 runs.
The bulk of the damage was done by the spin duo of Nigam (4/59) and Saurabh Kumar (1/88).
Wriddhiman Saha, also returning to Bengal after a playing for Tripura since 2022, had a forgettable outing, falling for a six-ball duck.
All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed chipped in with a valuable unbeaten 26 from 38 balls, including two boundaries, to push Bengal to 269/7 by stumps.
In Vadodara, Mitesh Patel and Atit Sheth staged a spirited recovery for Baroda, taking them to 241/6 against defending champions Mumbai on the opening day.
Mumbai pacers Shardul Thakur and Mohit Avasthi removed the Baroda openers before the seasoned spin duo of Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian got into the act, reducing Baroda to 90/5.
At that point Mumbai were all over the opposition before Mitesh (86 off 159) and Atit (batting 60) frustrated the Ajinkya Rahane led-side with a 130-run partnership.
Baroda skipper Krunal Pandya (21) was the fifth wicket to fall for Baroda at stroke of lunch. Off-spinner Kotian had Krunal had caught behind.
In Coimbatore, Sai Kishore's 3/54, including the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara for 16, helped Tamil Nadu dismiss Saurashtra for 203.
Brief Scores: Bengal 269/7 in 82 overs (Sudip Chatterjee 116, Sudip Gharami 90, Shahbaz Ahmed 26 not out; Vipraj Nigam 4/59) vs Uttar Pradesh. At stumps, Day I.
