KOLKATA: Abhimanyu Easwaran made his comeback memorable by hitting an unbeaten 141 against hosts Uttarakhand on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group “A” match at Abhimanyu Cricket Academy ground in Dehradun on Tuesday.
Taking inspiration from previous games where bowlers struck early at this venue, Uttarakhand skipper Jiwanjot Singh was quick to put Bengal to bat winning the toss. But Easwaran wasn’t ready for someone else to run the show on a ground he grew up playing.
The fly-half bolstered his case for an India call-up by scoring his fourth straight red ball century after his 141 and 157 against Bangladesh “A”s and 170 against Nagaland.
Bengal, which struggled to get off to a good start in its first two matches, found new life with the return of Easwaran, who found a new opening partner in Sayan Sekhar Mondal on Tuesday.
The all-rounder, who has been used as a floater in previous games this season, may not have scored well but provided effective support to his partner and saw through the tricky first hour before being sent off before lunch for 18.
Sudip Gharami, who joined Easwaran, exuded confidence, allowing Easwaran to continue smoothly as the duo picked up where they left off against Nagaland. It was a proud moment for Easwaran to reach the triple digit mark after having lunch in front of his father, who named his son after this infrastructure.
Gharami also set up well and was unlucky to miss his third straight century after left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra broke the 170-run second-wicket stand by having it caught by Jiwanjot for 90. The 23-year-old batter hit 11 fours and a six during his 180-ball stint in the middle.
Stumps were drawn when Mishra beat Anushtup Majumder (3) shortly after as Bengal finished on solid ground at 269 for three. Bengal will be hoping Easwaran, unbeaten on 141 after hitting 12 fours and a six, will continue in the same vein to put the rivals under pressure on the scoreboard.
Brief scores: Bengal 269/3 in 84.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 141 batting, Sudip Kr Gharami 90; Mayank Mishra 3/74) v Uttarakhand.
Taking inspiration from previous games where bowlers struck early at this venue, Uttarakhand skipper Jiwanjot Singh was quick to put Bengal to bat winning the toss. But Easwaran wasn’t ready for someone else to run the show on a ground he grew up playing.
The fly-half bolstered his case for an India call-up by scoring his fourth straight red ball century after his 141 and 157 against Bangladesh “A”s and 170 against Nagaland.
Bengal, which struggled to get off to a good start in its first two matches, found new life with the return of Easwaran, who found a new opening partner in Sayan Sekhar Mondal on Tuesday.
The all-rounder, who has been used as a floater in previous games this season, may not have scored well but provided effective support to his partner and saw through the tricky first hour before being sent off before lunch for 18.
Sudip Gharami, who joined Easwaran, exuded confidence, allowing Easwaran to continue smoothly as the duo picked up where they left off against Nagaland. It was a proud moment for Easwaran to reach the triple digit mark after having lunch in front of his father, who named his son after this infrastructure.
Gharami also set up well and was unlucky to miss his third straight century after left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra broke the 170-run second-wicket stand by having it caught by Jiwanjot for 90. The 23-year-old batter hit 11 fours and a six during his 180-ball stint in the middle.
Stumps were drawn when Mishra beat Anushtup Majumder (3) shortly after as Bengal finished on solid ground at 269 for three. Bengal will be hoping Easwaran, unbeaten on 141 after hitting 12 fours and a six, will continue in the same vein to put the rivals under pressure on the scoreboard.
Brief scores: Bengal 269/3 in 84.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 141 batting, Sudip Kr Gharami 90; Mayank Mishra 3/74) v Uttarakhand.
