After sharing honours with Tamil Nadu on the opening day, Bengal squandered a chance to build on it by losing the first session comprehensively. They won the second before the teams drew the third to leave this quarter-final on an even keel heading into what is expected to be an exciting as well as decisive third day.
After wrapping up Bengal innings for the addition of just 53 runs, Tamil Nadu kept losing wickets at crucial junctures and took tea at 82 for 3. They lost one more wicket soon after but kept hitting fours at a steady rate to reach 188 for five at stumps.
Medium-pacer C. Ganapathy was the most successful Tamil Nadu bowler with a maiden first-class haul of 5 wickets, but it was L Balaji who ended Bengal’s hopes of getting more than what they did by removing M Tiwary. It was a slower ball which deceived the batsman and went in through the gate.
The tail killed time without the addition of significant runs.
Ranadeb Bose was perhaps a bit lucky to see M. Vijay chase a wide one and offer a catch to point. A Mukund was looking firm before a misunderstanding with Dinesh Karthik at the stroke of tea resulted in him being run out.
Tamil Nadu were four down for 87 on resumption but loose balls by Ashok Dinda, Sourav Sarkar and later off-spinner Ritam Kundu were taken advantage of.
{{/usCountry}}Tamil Nadu were four down for 87 on resumption but loose balls by Ashok Dinda, Sourav Sarkar and later off-spinner Ritam Kundu were taken advantage of.
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