Bengal aim to go all guns blazing against Kerala in crucial Ranji match


8th February 2024
Boosted by the arrival of key players, Bengal will aim to bounce back and put up a much improved performance when they take on Kerala in their sixth and penultimate Ranji Trophy Elite Group B match at the St. Xavier's College Ground in Trivandrum, starting on Friday.
After bagging their first win of the campaign against Assam, the Laxmi Ratan Shukla-coached side went into the match against Mumbai at the Eden Gardens last week with confidence sky-high.
But the home side were beaten by an innings and 4 runs, thus suffering their first defeat of the campaign.
With a win, three draws and one loss so far from five games, Bengal are currently placed in the third spot in the points table with 12 points.
The Manoj Tiwary-led team will be looking to keep aside the heavy loss in the last match and put up a fighting performance and bag maximum points against Kerala to keep their hopes alive for the knockouts.
For the most-important match of the campaign, the last season's runners-up will be boosted by the arrival of three key players, star batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran, all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and fast bowler Akash Deep.
The trio was missed hugely by the Bengal team for the most part of the campaign. With them back in the team, Bengal will look to give their all to secure seven points from the match.
In the batting department, the return of Easwaran at the top of the order will be a big plus for the visitors. His experience and skills will be crucial for the all-important match. Shakir Habib Gandhi will make his Ranji debut for Bengal and partner Abhimanyu at the top.
The talented Sudip Kumar Gharami, coming in at No.3, will aim to convert his starts into big ones.
The middle order will once again rely on the experienced Anustup Majumdar. The 39-year-old veteran batsman, who scored his third century of the campaign, with a fighting 108 in the last match against Mumbai, will look to give the Kerala bowlers a tough challenge.
Skipper Tiwary, who reached the milestone of 10,000 runs in first-class cricket this Ranji season, will hope to score more to make his farewell season a one to cherish.
The talented wicketkeeper - batsman Abishek Porel, fresh after his maiden first-class century and a fine 82 against Mumbai, will be eager to deliver once again with the bat.
In the bowling department, considering the pitch to be spin-friendly, the visitors will go with three spinners.
The return of left-arm spinner Shahbaz will be a big boost for the team both in bowling and batting. He will hope to get good support from two other spinners. While Karan Lal will play as the second spinner, it will be a toss-up between Ankit Mishra and Pradipta Pramanik for the third spinner's spot.
In the fast bowling department, Akash Deep, who was missed hugely by the team, will surely add more venom to the attack alongside the in-form Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal.
On the other hand, the home side Kerala, who are yet to win a game, are struggling in the sixth position in the table with just 8 points from five matches so far, having drawn four and lost one.
In their last game, Kerala managed to bag first innings lead after draw against Chhattisgarh.
The Sanju Samson-led side will also look to bag maximum points from the game to keep their hopes alive for knockouts.
The likes of Samson and Sachin Baby will surely be tested against a quality Bengal bowling line-up.

CAB MEDIA DESK
Arindam Basu