Ranji Trophy 2018/19: Abhimanyu Easwaran helps Bengal make incredible comeback to defeat Delhi

Prior to the game against Delhi, Bengal had played 6 games in the Ranji Trophy this season, winning one, losing one and drawing four. Their only victory came against Tamil Nadu, where they somehow managed to hold onto their nerves and chased down a target of 216 with just one wicket in hand.

After the game against Tamil Nadu, they had consecutive draws against Hyderabad and Andhra, and were at 5th position in the Elite Group B, needing back to back wins in their final two group games against Delhi and Punjab for a chance qualify to the knockout stages.

The Manoj Tiwary-led side started off well as they reduced Delhi to 5 wickets for the score of 73, but an impressive performance by Jonty Sidhu took Delhi to a total of 240 in the first innings. Ashok Dinda was the pick of the bowlers for Bengal as he picked up 4 wickets.

The Bengal team got off to a good start in their first innings and got to 112 for the loss of just 3 wickets, but despite their good start, got bundled out for 220, conceding a first innings lead of 20 runs. Delhi ended the 2nd day with a score of 41 for 2, taking a lead of 61 runs.

The 3rd day was very crucial for Bengal if they wanted to stand a chance to qualify for the next round. The day began with Pradipta Pramanik picking up the opener Kunal Chandela, while Dinda sent the Delhi skipper Nitish Rana back to the pavilion, leaving the visitors at 72 for 4.

But once again, Jonty Sidhu came to Delhi's rescue as he stitched a partnership of 85 runs with Himmat Singh. After the dismissal of both Himmat Singh and Jonty Sidhu, came the onslaught from the Delhi tail-end pair of Suboth Bhati and Kulwant Khejroliya, who put on 80 runs for the final wicket.

Bhati was then run out on 62 and the visitors finished on 301, setting Bengal a target of 321 with a day's play remaining as the home team looked down and out of the contest.

Bengal began the final day with the score of 18 and all 10 wickets in hand, further needing 303 runs on the last day of play. The openers, Abhimanyu Easwaran and Abhishek Raman put on a spirited show, as they added 121 runs for the first wicket, keeping Bengal in the hunt for a surprise win.

But after Raman fell, Bengal lost their skipper Manoj Tiwary for 5 and their first innings top scorer Sudip Chatterjee for 2 in a span of just 3 overs. After the wicket of Tiwary, Anustup Majumdar walked in to bat with the score at 137.

The play resumed after lunch with Bengal needing 179 runs to win, and Easwaran maintained his composure and continued to play in a counter-attacking manner while ably supported by Majumdar from the other end. That turned out to be an unbeaten stand as Easwaran and Majumdar put on 186 runs for the 4th wicket and took Bengal through, as they won the match by 7 wickets.

This was the highest run-chase for Bengal in Ranji Trophy history as Easwaran top-scored with an unbeaten 183 of 211 balls whereas Majumdar also scored an unbeaten 69.

This victory took Bengal to the 3rd spot in the Elite Group B, tying with Himachal Pradesh on 22 points after 7 games. They will now need to win their final Group match against Punjab for a chance to qualify to the knockout stage.