The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Dasgupta and Shukla send Baroda on leather hunt

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 23, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Dasgupta and Shukla send Baroda on leather hunt

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: Two excellent centuries by skipper Deep Dasgupta (171) and Laxmi Ratan Shukla (137 batting) and their 314-run sixth-wicket association enabled Bengal take a vice-like grip on the Ranji Trophy Elite group semifinals against Baroda on the third day at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.

At stumps, Bengal was 517 for six, enjoying an overall lead of 276 runs. Shukla was unbeaten on 137, his maiden Ranji century, and Sourashish Lahiri was on 7.

It was surprising to see the pitch turn benign to assist the Bengal batsmen. The wicket played placid throughout the day making the Baroda bowlers toil for wickets. The lone success came at the very fag end of the day when Dasgupta, having completed his fourth Ranji hundred and reached his career-best score, misread the line to be taken off the outside edge by wicketkeeper Pinal Shah off medium pacer Shekhar Joshi.

Chanceless innings

Dasgupta's chanceless vigil lasted 20 minutes short of nine hours, facing 357 balls laced with twenty-one 4s. Interestingly, Dasgupta's debut match was against Baroda in 1998-99 at the CC&FC ground here where he smashed 120 as an opener.

This was his second century of the season in Ranji. His first was 143 versus Gujarat at Surat in December.

Shukla, a free-stroking batsman, curbed his instincts to come up with a controlled innings. Having got out more than 10 times in the 80s in the past three seasons, Shukla played with a lot of determination and also helped himself to a mighty six off left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar to jump from 94 to 100. He faced 353 balls in his nearly seven-and-a-half hour stay at the wicket. He hit nineteen 4s and a 6.

The scores:

Baroda — 1st innings: 241.

Bengal — 1st innings: A. Das c Shah b Patel 0, S. Day c & b Y. Pathan 115, A. Jhunjhunwala lbw b Patel 0, M. Tiwari c Y. Pathan b Pawar 35, K.H. Mondal lbw b Pawar 5, D. Dasgupta c Shah b Joshi 171, L.R. Shukla (batting) 137, S. Lahiri (batting) 7; Extras (b-19, lb-9, nb-19): 47. Total (for six in 180 overs): 517.

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-10, 3-108, 4-128, 5-191, 6-505.

Baroda bowling: Patel 36-9-107-2, I. Pathan 25-6-68-0, Joshi 25-6-65-1, Pawar 52-13-113-2, Y. Pathan 27-7-71-1, A. Bhoite 11-0-52-0, R. Solanki 4-0-13-0.

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