Players Details
Fixture & Results
Debutant Kuila take 3 to peg back Punjab
21st October 2016
Debutant Amit Kulia took three for 44 as Bengal held the edge over Punjab restricting them at 168 for 4 after finishing the first innings at 404 on the second day of the Ranji Trophy match at Luhnu Cricket Ground in Bilaspur.
Beginning the day at 332 for 5, Bengal were all out for 404 losing the last five wickets for 72 runs. Pankaj Shaw was the lone warrior who scored 55 runs and was the last batsman out. However, Bengal made amends for the poor show with the lower order as they reduced Punjab to 74 for 3 to take the upper hand by tea.
Debutant Amit Kuila was the star of the day reducing Punjab to 1 for 0 and then 2 for 40 as he returned the openers M Vorha (23) and Jiwanjot Singh (0). Ashoke Dinda struck a telling blow on the Punjab innings scalping in-form Yuvraj Singh for 22. Kuila returned in his second spell to remove Gurkeerat Singh for 18 to tilt the scales for Bengal.
Later an excited Kuila said that while all three wickets will be special to him, that of Manan Vohra was the most satisfying. “It was a good day. I am feeling happy that I made some difference. Manan was playing well. So when I foxed him it gave me great satisfaction.”
Asked about the wicket, he said: “The wicket had some life in the morning. The ball was moving around. But after lunch it eased out.”
That was evident as Kaul remained unbeaten on 73 having weathered the storm in the first half of the day and giving him company was T Kohli on 26. At the end of the day Punjab need 236 runs with 6 wickets to chase down Bengal’s total.
CAB MEDIA DESK
Arindam Basu (With inputs from Sayan Banerjee)
