Pacer Ranadeb Bose returned a five-wicket haul as Bengal took a vital first innings lead to pocket two points as their Ranji Trophy Elite group B match against Mumbai ended in a draw in Kolkata on Monday.
Replying to Bengal's opening essay total of 578-7 declared, Mumbai were forced to follow on - their first such ignominy against the hosts - after folding up for 372, sixty five minutes into the post-tea session.
Trailing by 206 runs, Mumbai were 23/0 at stumps on the fourth and last day of the match at the Eden Gardens.
Bose, who picked up two wickets on Sunday, induced the Mumbai batsmen to commit mistakes by maintaining a nagging outside the off stump line on a track that afforded no assistance to the bowlers.
He got the morning's first breakthrough by getting rid of Mumbai skipper Amol Muzumdar (39) with the new ball, and followed it up by dismissing overnight centurion Bhavin Thakkar (157; 322b, 438m, 24x4).
Thakkar, who added 130 runs for the third wicket with Muzumdar, edged a catch to Arindam Das in the slip, before pacer Ashok Dinda ousted Nishit Shetty (12) as Mumbai went to lunch at 301/5.
{{/usCountry}}Thakkar, who added 130 runs for the third wicket with Muzumdar, edged a catch to Arindam Das in the slip, before pacer Ashok Dinda ousted Nishit Shetty (12) as Mumbai went to lunch at 301/5.
{{/usCountry}}The visitors lost the talented Rohit Sharma (21) shortly after resumption when he tried to lift Sourasish Lahiri into the deep and holed out to mid on as Mumbai were 317/6.
Ramesh Powar (29) and wicket-keeper Vinayak Samant (21) tried to retrieve the situation during a 42-run stand before Samant was evicted by part-time spinner Rohan Gavaskar.
Powar, who seemed to be Mumbai's last hope, departed a little later as he was caught by Das at silly point of Lahiri.
Bengal, who got an outright victory over Punjab in their first match, now have six points from two games.