Ranji Trophy 2014: Champs Karnataka take cake, floor cherry

“Consistency has helped us take our confidence to a new level. It has also taught us to be more patient on the field,” said Uthappa. “The winning habit has also helped the individual players grow into their job. Ranji Trophy win and other achievements are by-products of that,” he added.

Bengal started the final day on 46 for one in their second innings. They needed 157 to avoid an innings defeat. Saving the game was a more arduous task. For that the hosts needed to bat at least 70 overs to have any chance. Bengal survived for 56.3 overs, folding up for 227.

Losing two wickets before lunch was crucial. First, Manoj Tiwary (4) was bowled through the gate by Vinay. Just a few balls earlier, the Bengal batsman was hit on the helmet by an Abhimanyu Mithun bouncer. And once again, tentative footwork did him in. Vinay’s delivery had kept a little low as well.

Sudip Chatterjee was going fine at the other end. He scored his second half-century of the match and was looking good for more. But a lapse in concentration cost him dear. He went for a cut to a Shreyas Gopal delivery that pitched on off and middle and straightened. The ball sneaked through his defence.

With 145 for four at lunch, Bengal’s hopes rested on skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla and young Sreevats Goswami. But when the pair came back after the break, they found Vinay at his best. Goswami was the first to go, following an outswinger and giving a simple catch to wicketkeeper CM Gautam. The tail-enders followed suit. In between, Sreenath Aravind produced a beauty of an inswinger to castle Shukla. The latter chanced his arm, got a life on 38 but failed to make full use of the opportunity. Bengal lost their last six wickets for 29 runs and Vinay took five of them. His figures in that spell read: 5.3-1-12-5. The Karnataka captain took six wickets for 34 runs in the second innings and returned with match figures of nine for 90 in 42.3 overs. He also scored 42 with the bat which turned out to be vital. But Gopal was rightly adjudged the Man of the Match for his maiden Ranji hundred. His 145 off 197 balls took the game away from the hosts.

Lower-order batting also made a huge difference. Karnataka’s last four wickets added 275 runs in their first innings. Bengal’s tally for the last four wickets was 37 and 21, respectively. The gulf in class between the two sides was too big for Bengal to bridge once Karnataka got a grip on the match.

Brief scores: Karnataka 408 & 71/1 in 10.2 overs (R Uthappa 54) beat Bengal 251 & 227 in 76.3 overs (S Chatterjee 59, LR Shukla 57; V Kumar 6/34) by 9 wickets. Points: Karnataka 6, Bengal 0

Hit by bouncer, Tiwary stands his ground

Express News Service

Kolkata: For a brief moment, those present at the Eden on Wednesday missed a collective heart beat. It was the 39th over of Bengal’s second innings. Abhimanyu Mithun was charging in from the High Court end. The Karnataka pacer bowled a bouncer to Manoj Tiwary. The latter ducked but took his eyes off the ball. There was a thud as the ball hit the back of his helmet. The sound was enough to send a chill down the spine, Phil Hughes’ death still vivid.

Tiwary was visibly rattled. Also, the blow damaged his new white helmet. Mithun was the first to go up to the batsman and put a comforting arm around him. His teammates joined as the Bengal physio rushed to the spot. Thankfully, Tiwary, batting on two then, regained his composure and decided to continue after replacing his helmet. But he got out soon after and was taken to the hospital for a precautionary CT scan.

“The report is good and I’m okay now. There’s just a little bit of heaviness at the back of my head,” Tiwary said.

Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar showed genuine concern. “This has happened many times before, but after Phil Hughes’s death, we can’t take any chances,” he said.