Unbeaten Bengal take on Assam, target first win in Ranji campaign


25th January 2024
Bengal will aim to bag their first victory of the Ranji Trophy season when they take on Assam in their fourth Elite Group B match at the ACA Stadium in Barsapara, Guwahati, starting on Friday.
With three games drawn so far, the Laxmi Ratan Shukla-coached side is currently placed in the fifth spot in the group with five points.
After having bagged just a point in their opening game against Andhra, Bengal put up a dominant show with the ball against Uttar Pradesh to clinch first innings lead and three points.
But with the weather and bad light having the final say, Bengal managed to pocket just a point from their first home against Chhattisgarh in the previous match.
Despite missing star players Abhimanyu Easwaran, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, and Shahbaz Ahmed, the others in the team have stepped up with bat and ball in the games so far.
Against Assam in an away game, it will be no different as the Manoj Tiwary-led side will be aiming to go all guns blazing to pocket their first win of the campaign and climb the points table.
In the batting department, opener Sourav Paul, who scored a fine 96 in his debut match against Andhra, will be eager to score some more runs. His partner, Shreyansh Ghosh, who looked good against UP and Chhattisgarh, will also aim to give Bengal a perfect start.
Sudip Kumar Gharami, coming in at No.3, will be looking to convert his good starts into big ones.
The middle order will once again rely on the experienced Anustup Majumdar. The 39-year-old veteran batsman will aim to make it count once again following his fighting 125 against Andhra and 71 against Chhattisgarh.
Skipper Tiwary will also hope to get runs under his belt in his farewell season while talented wicketkeeper-batsman Abishek Porel will look to make another impact with the bat after his maiden first-class century in the previous game.
In the bowling department, the pace duo of Mohammad Kaif and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal will aim to bag more wickets on a pitch which may assist the seamers in the morning, considering it to be an early start.
Besides the duo, fast bowler Suman Das is most likely to make his Ranji debut.
In the spin bowling department, Karan Lal will lead, while it will be a toss-up between Pradipta Pramanik and Ankit Mishra for a second spinner in the XI.
On the other hand, the hosts, Assam, are struggling at the bottom of the points table with two losses in their three games so far.
Placed eighth in the table with just a point, the home side will have to be at their best both with the bat and ball to get a positive result from the game.
Despite the team failing to deliver, skipper Riyan Parag has been scoring big runs in the three matches so far.
The right-handed batter will be the one to watch out for after his 155 against Chhattisgarh in their first game, followed by 116 against Kerala and 75 against Andhra.
Riyan will surely be tested against a quality and young Bengal bowling attack.

CAB MEDIA DESK
Arindam Basu