Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 15: Sudip Gharami continued his rich vein of form with a resolute unbeaten 136 as Bengal posted 249 for five against Jammu and Kashmir on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal at Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, Kalyani (West Bengal) today.
Fresh from his marathon 299 against Andhra in the quarterfinal, Gharami once again displayed remarkable patience and temperament, carrying his bat through nearly six hours at the crease. Facing 227 deliveries, he struck 19 fours and a lofted six to anchor Bengal’s innings after an early setback.
Bengal were jolted in the second over when veteran Sudip Chatterjee was dismissed for a duck. Gharami, however, settled in quickly and stitched together an 85-run partnership for the second wicket with skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (49). Easwaran looked in fine touch before Auqib Nabi produced a delivery that straightened after pitching to disturb his off-stump.
Anushtup Majumdar (14) fell cheaply but added 66 crucial runs with Gharami to steady the innings. The right-hander then forged a vital 94-run stand with Shahbaz Ahmed (42 off 90 balls), which began to tilt the balance in Bengal’s favour on a pitch that offered minimal assistance to the bowlers.
Shahbaz’s dismissal late in the day – trapped by an in-cutter from left-arm seamer Sunil Kumar – handed J&K a timely breakthrough and an opportunity to push back when play resumes with the second new ball due early on Day Two.
Gharami’s knock underlined his growing maturity. He was content to bide his time, punishing loose deliveries while respecting good spells. He handled Auqib Nabi with assurance on both sides of the wicket and was particularly severe on Nabi and Yudhvir Singh, collecting 11 of his boundaries off the two pacers. Against left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq, Gharami used his feet effectively to negate spin, one such push to deep mid-wicket bringing up his eighth first-class century in 39 matches.
Brief scores:
Bengal 249/5 in 79.5 overs on Day 1. Sudip Kumar Gharami unbeaten 136 (227b, 19×4, 1×6). Easwaran 49, Shahbaz 42. Sunil Kumar and Auqib Nabi claimed two wickets each for J&K.
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