Ranji Trophy: Bengal pacers destroy Baroda

Bengal pacers were on song as they bowled out Baroda for 181 runs only on Day I of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group B encounter at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Thursday. Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran’s decision to send the rivals in after winning the toss was vindicated as the Bengal pace trio of Ishan Porel, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep took full advantage of the morning conditions and some assist from the pitch. Ishan drew first blood by removing opener and skipper Kedar Devdhar and P Kumar in the same over.

In his very next over he had Shivalik Sharma caught behind by India U-19 World Cup winning team member Abhishek Porel, who made his senior team debut. Akash Deep then joined the party picking up the wickets of dangerman Krunal Pandya and Abhimanyusingh in the same over to reduce Baroda to 64 for five. All-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed dismissed opener JK Singh as Bengal went for lunch with Baroda at 95 for six.

Ishan provided the breakthrough again in the second session claiming the wicket of Dhruv Patel. Mukesh Kumar wrapped up the tail by picking up three wickets that included Baroda's highest run-getter wicketkeeper-batter Mitesh Patel (66). "We have bowled well as a unit," Ishan said after the day’s play.

"The plan was to get as many wickets in the first session as the wicket was helping the seamers," he added. Bengal lost skipper Easwaran (4) in the fifth over of the innings, but Sudip Gharami, who was picked over Abhishek Raman, and Sudip Chatterjee managed to see through to stumps with Bengal at 24 for one.