Team Bengal reached the Ranji Trophy knockout stage once again. Here is a look at what worked, what did not and what lies in store for Bengal in this edition of the country’s premier First-Class competition.
About Team Bengal
Team Bengal entered the Ranji Trophy knockout stage for the third successive season. They will take on Jharkhand in the quarter-final starting at Eden Gardens on January 31. Bengal lost to Odisha in their last group league match at the same venue, but made it to the next round as group toppers. Even though this was perhaps the easiest of the four groups, Bengal’s performance was creditable. They ensured their berth with a match to spare, having secured four outright wins and also took first-innings lead in two of the previous matches. They have now made it to the knockout stage four times in the last five seasons. Bengal lost in the final in 2019-20 and exited from the semi-finals in 2017-18 and 2021-22.
What it means for Team Bengal
Bengal’s current form makes the team one of the more consistent sides in domestic cricket in the last five seasons, even though they did not win the title and reached the final just once. It’s a very competitive scenario and reaching the knockout stage takes a lot, considering that a team has to play seven matches in the league stage. Only in a truncated season in 2021-22 after a season of no Ranji Trophy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were three matches in the group stage. It’s true that Bengal does not have too many regulars in the Indian side — Wriddhiman Saha and Mohammed Shami played for the national side and Mukesh Kumar and Shahbaz Ahmed are waiting for the clarion call. One must admit that of late, their Ranji performances have been praiseworthy.
The catalysts
It is said that the batters score runs and bowlers win the matches. That’s exactly how it has worked out for this Bengal side. Fast bowlers Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Porel and Akash Deep have been outstanding over the last few seasons. Largely due to them, Bengal often won matches despite trailing in the first innings. This is no mean task. In a four-day match (in the group league stage), the struggling team doesn’t get a lot of time to bounce back especially when it faces a huge target. For example, Bengal had to chase a target of 340-plus after being bowled out for 80-odd in the last season against Baroda. As Mukesh was picked for the India T20 squad, Pritam Chakraborty who got the cap, picked up eight wickets in two matches. Left-arm spinners Shahbaz and Pradipta Pramanik, too, chipped in with wickets when the situation demanded.
In the batting section
Opener Abhimanyu Easwaran has been the top scorer this season with 633 runs from eight innings at an average of 90.42. He has already scored three centuries and two half-centuries. No. 3 batter Sudip Kumar Gharami, has been the find of the season, having tallied nearly 550 runs with two centuries and four half-centuries. Anustup Majumdar has been the most outstanding batsman. Skipper Manoj Tiwary has not been able to get to the magical three-figure mark but contributed with five 50-plus knocks. However, Easwaran has not been lucky with his opening partners and the team management’s efforts to try out three batters in that slot have turned out to be futile. Also, To add to the woes of the team, at least one middle-order batter has been short of runs. Despite having reached the knockout stage, the coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla must be having sleepless nights with a sluggish opener and a middle-order batter slot. The team management realises that they can’t afford too many errors after this and Team Bengal must find a solution fast.
The most outstanding player
For the third successive season, it has been Anustup Majumdar. At 38 and having made his First-Class debut 18 years ago, he does not have much left in the tank. But in the last three seasons, he has invariably delivered when the chips were down. Whether the team was at 40 for five and needed to reach 300 plus or when at 120 for seven and still needed to put up 300 plus, Anustup has singlehandedly bailed out the team on a number of occasions.
“I can’t explain how it happens. Having played for so many years, I have a better understanding of my game. Probably that helps. I try to stick to my plan not to get out during the initial stages and then I identify the bowlers I can score against,” a confident Anustup told My Kolkata. A middle-order batter by choice, he has played in almost every position before settling down at No. 4. “This position has helped me. Earlier, I had to bat wherever the team wanted me to. But I have always preferred No 4, where I am batting now.” Anustup has scored two centuries and a 90 when the team was in shambles this season. Bengal owe a lot to this low-profile performer.
What next?
In the knockout stage of the country’s premier First-Class tournament, no opponent can be taken lightly. Jharkhand will come hard at Bengal. But Bengal will take confidence from the fact that they had faced the same team at the same stage last season. The outcome? Bengal made a humongous 773 for seven in the first innings. All nine who batted scored at least 50, which is a world record in First-Class cricket. But as coach Shukla said after the Odisha match, there is no room for complacency. Each session will have to be taken seriously and from the quarter-final stage, it is a five-day affair.
Team Bengal slogged hard to come this far and must now strive to be error-free and relentless.
