Bengal have an opportunity to avenge the result of their 2019-20 Ranji Trophy final against Saurashtra. Both the teams will be facing off again in this season’s decider at Eden Gardens beginning on Thursday following their wins over Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, respectively, in the semi-finals.

At the Holkar Stadium in Indore, Bengal had already put the game beyond Madhya Pradesh’s reach by extending their overall lead to 547. All out for 279 in their second innings on the final day, they set the hosts an improbable 548-run target.

Madhya Pradesh, winners in the previous Ranji edition, still made some sort of an attempt as almost all their batters tried to go after the Bengal bowlers. But given the strength and quality of Bengal’s bowling attack, all that Madhya Pradesh could manage was 241 in 39.5 overs as the visitors recorded a 306-run victory.

Left-arm spinner Pradipta Pramanik, remaining unbeaten on 60 in the second essay, was the pick of Bengal’s bowlers as he finished with 5/51 off his 10.5 overs. Pace spearhead Mukesh Kumar struck twice while Shahbaz Ahmed and Akash Deep took one wicket apiece.

Akash bowled just four overs on Sunday but was adjudged Man of the Match primarily for his superlative showing in the first innings, where he picked up a five-for. On a pitch not having enough for the quicks, Akash’s performance on Day III went a long way in strengthening Bengal’s foothold in the game after the Sudip Gharami-Anustup Majumdar partnership of 241 propelled them to 438 in the first innings.

In the other semi-final at the Chinnaswamy in Bangalore, Saurashtra made heavy weather of a small target of 115 as they were wobbling at 42/5 at one stage. But just as he had done in the first innings, skipper Arpit Vasavada (47 not out) stepped up once again.

On this occasion, he had left-arm quick Chetan Sakariya (24) as an able ally as the duo counterattacked the Karnataka bowlers, including spinner Krishnappa Gowtham (3/38), who was looking dangerous. Vasavada and Sakariya stitched a 65-run stand for the sixth wicket off just 80 balls, which confirmed Saurashtra’s qualification for the final.

Vasavada’s unbeaten 47, considering the situation Saurashtra found themselves to be in, was as good as a three-figure score. He was the obvious choice for the Man-of-theMatch award for back-to-back critical knocks.

‘Celebrate later’

Set to play their second Ranji final in three years, Bengal are aware of not getting carried away with this consistency in red-ball cricket. The conditions at the Eden may favour Bengal, but Saurashtra’s batting depth won’t be making the bowlers’ job too easy.

“We still have a fair distance to cover if we are to emerge champions,” head coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla said.

“This is not the time for us to celebrate. We’ll celebrate only after we win the trophy. So for the time being, celebrations can wait.

“These guys know what’s to be done, so our focus is to just keep moving forward.” Having returned to Calcutta on Sunday night, Bengal will get down to practise at the Eden from Monday itself, though the first XI regulars are likely to resume training on Tuesday.

“We’ve already started thinking about the final. It’s a big opportunity for all of us to do something special. So we’ll get down to planning and preparation as early as possible,” captain Manoj Tiwary stated.

Summarised scores

• Bengal 438 & 279 (P. Pramanik 60 n.o.). Madhya Pradesh 170 & 241 (R. Patidar 52; P. Pramanik 5/51). Bengal won by 306 runs.

• Karnataka 407 & 234 (N. Jose 109; C. Sakariya 4/45, D. Jadeja 4/79). Saurashtra 527 & 117/6 (A. Vasavada 47 n.o., C. Sakariya 24; K. Gowtham 3/38). Saurashtra won by 4 wickets.

Unadkat boost

Jaydev Unadkat. Twitter

Calcutta: Saurashtra got a much-needed boost ahead of the Ranji Trophy final at Eden Gardens as Jaydev Unadkat will be available for the all-important game beginning on Thursday.

The senior left-arm quick, who was a part of the Indian contingent for the first two Tests versus Australia, has been released from the squad for the Ranji final, the BCCI announced on Sunday.

Even without Unadkat, Saurashtra, under Arpit Vasavada’s leadership, fared quite well to make the final. The senior pro’s return will certainly strengthen Saurashtra and they will also be in a better frame of mind in terms of dealing with the pace-friendly conditions at the Eden.

Unadkat’s performance with the ball was massive when Saurashtra won the Ranji crown in the 2019-20 season by virtue of their first-innings lead over Bengal in the decider in Rajkot. Although he has played just three Ranji matches this season, Unadkat still managed to pick up 17 scalps with 8/39 being his best figures.

OUR BUREAU