Sudip Chatterjee just fell short of scoring a hundred, but with a determined 98 and a solid 82 not out from Sumanta Gupta, Bengal recovered from a poor start to card 274 for six on day two of their Ranji Trophy. Elite Group C match against Uttarakhand in Kolkata on Thursday. Bengal now lead by 61 runs after dismissing Uttarakhand for 213 on the first day of the match.

Bengal resumed on their overnight total of eight for one and it wasn’t long until they were again in trouble as fast bowler Devendra Singh Bora continued his impressive spell. Having dismissed skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran for a first-ball duck on the first day of the match, Bora struck again, taking out Sudip Kumar Gharami (15) and Anustup Majumdar (35), leaving Bengal teetering at 63 for three at lunch.

Chatterjee-Gupta partnership rescues Bengal

Wicketkeeper Abishek Porel (21 off 40) offered some brief resistance before falling soon after the lunch break and leaving Bengal in a troublesome position at 98 for four. That’s when Chatterjee and Gupta came together to stabilize the innings with a stunning 156-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Showing composure and determination, the two batsmen accordingly took the sting out of the Uttarakhand bowling attack throughout the afternoon and evening sessions.

Chatterjee, a veteran left-hand batsman and former India A batsman, exhibited his usual calmness while making 48 off 264 balls with 2 fours on his visit to the crease but heartbreak awaited him as he edged Bora to slip when he was on 98. Gupta, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on 82 from 149 balls, playing the anchor role perfectly and taking Bengal to a strong position before stumps.

Vishal Bhati (15) was the last wicket to fall towards the end of the day, bowled by Rajan Kumar (1/45). Bora was the pick of the bowlers for Uttarakhand with his incisive spells while spinners Jagadeesha Suchith and Abhay Negi bowled economically without success. Bengal will now hope that Gupta and the tail, including Mohammed Shami, will get the total past 300 when play resumes on Day 3.

(With PTI Inputs)