Ranji Trophy: Abhimanyu Easwaran’s ton guides draw as Bengal clinch Uttar Pradesh

Abhimanyu Easwaran continued his sublime form with a brilliant century as Bengal drew with Uttar Pradesh on the final day of the Ranji Trophy clash on Monday. Easwaran, who resumed the day with 78, scored his fifth century and 27th first hundred in the final nine innings, helping Bengal to declare their second innings at 254/3, with a target of 273 runs. Set. Despite difficult pitching and early setbacks, the hosts managed to hold out for a draw thanks to Priyam Garg’s gritty century. Bengal escaped with a three-run lead in the first innings, but Uttar Pradesh had to settle for one run.

The day started under cloudy skies and the UP pacers struggled to generate any movement from the pitch. Bengal’s opening pair Easwaran and Sudip Chatterjee had already strung together a stand of 100 on the third day but were untroubled by the bowling attack. Yash Dayal’s short-ball strategy was short-lived after he was booked for hitting the ball three times in a row with his left-armer above shoulder height.

Easwaran in particular showed great composure as he bowled 100 out of 140 balls. There was a moment of anxiety when he survived a close encounter with leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam with a shout of LBW, but he quickly regained his focus and stepped up to the next century. His partner Sudip Chatterjee also looked poised for a century but was caught by Saurabh Kumar and fell at 93 pounds.

After the quick dismissals of Sudip Gulami and Abhishek Porel, who were beaten by Nigam on back-to-back deliveries, Easwaran accelerated and almost scored on a run-a-ball, extending Bengal’s lead to over 250 runs. Dark clouds were gathering and only spinners were allowed to bowl. As the light was low, Bengal declared just before lunch, determined to get results.

But UP’s resistance proved stubborn. Bengal’s hopes of an early breakthrough were realized soon after lunch as Mukesh Kumar trapped UP skipper Aayan Huyal lbw just two balls into the game. Swastik Chikara followed soon after, giving a return catch to Mohammed Kaif, and when Sidharth Yadav was bowled by Kaif for eight, UP looked to be in serious trouble at 52/3.

However, Priyam Garg showed immense resilience and took charge of the innings. Supported by Nitish Rana who added a solid 32-ball 7, Garg pulled UP out of a difficult situation. Despite pain from multiple blows to his ribs, groin and shoulder, Garg showed defiance and determination. He managed to fend off the challenges of Mukesh Kumar and tick the scoreboard in good time, especially while dealing with the bouncers.

At the other end, wickets continued to fall but Garg continued to be the home for UP. He bowled 100 off 142 balls and smashed Shahbaz Ahmed to mid-on in the sixth over. With his good pitching, UP finished with 162 for 6 and Bengal settled for a draw.