Insipid and listless show by batsmen left Bengal wobbling versus Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy Group A game at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
At stumps on Day II, Rajasthan were 156/8 in their second innings, having extended their lead to 274.
Bengal bowlers did well again on Wednesday to somehow keep their team in the game. Nilkantha Das scalped four wickets, while Akash Deep took two.
Having said that, the bowlers struggled to get rid of the Rajasthan lower order. The hosts’ No. 8 (Shubham Sharma) and No. 9 batsmen (Tanveer-ul Haq) stitched 31 for the eighth wicket, which could well go on to become crucial going forward.
But considering how the batsmen have fared so far, chasing a total of around 300 or more appears to be an Everest of a task for Bengal. That too, on a pitch where batting hasn’t been all too easy.
“It’s a straight equation for us right now. We need to score 300 and win the game.
“We need to restrict their lead to below 300,” head coach Arun Lal said later.