Stay tuned at SportsKeeda to follow the rest of the matches in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021! That's it from me (Sameer Deodhar) and my colleague Prashanth Satish! Good bye and take care!
Jharkhand were never in the run-chase with their openers failing to get off to a good start early on. Anand Singh scored just 13 runs off 10 balls hoping Ishan Kishan to go big. He couldn't just get into his usual zone and got out for an uncharacteristic 22 off 25 balls. The No. 3 batsman Virat Singh fought for a while. He kept some hopes alive with a 35-ball 47, getting out at the end of the 13th over. Singh hit 4 boundaries and 2 sixes but was too much under pressure to hit every ball of the over.
Kumar Suraj and Pankaj Kumar got just 1 each and it was about then that the result looked inevitable with just formalities needed to be completed. Utkarsh Singh swung his bat around a bit and played a handsome cameo of 28 runs in 14 balls but left the crease soon. Anukul Roy too stayed at the crease for 16 balls but 18 runs were never enough for Jharkhand to get near the target!
Ishan Porel picked 3 wickets for Bengal and was well supported by Writtick Chatterjee's 2/25. Other bowlers Arnab Nandi, Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar and Shahbaz Ahmed picked a wicket each enroute their 16-run victory over Jharkhand. They stay at 0 points as Bengal top the group with 2 wins in as many games!
20.0
19.6 Ishan Porel to Monu Kumar, full-length ball outside off-stump and Monu can only dig it out to the off side but won't get a single. Bengal win by 16 runs
19.5 Ishan Porel to Rahul Shukla, slower delivery on a length on off-stump and Rahul gets inside the line of that one and heaves it away towards fine-leg for a single
19.4 Ishan Porel to Monu Kumar, low full-toss on stump line and Monu has hit this one straight down the ground and he will pick up a single.
19.3 Ishan Porel to Monu Kumar, full-length ball outside off-stump and Monu drives firmly straight to mid-off for no runs
19.2 Ishan Porel to Vikash Singh, OUT! CAUGHT! Short ball outside off-stump and a touch slower as well and Vikash trying to pull this one away but ends up finding the fielder at deep backward square.
The umpire wants to check the no ball and the third umpire has deemed that delivery fair!
19.1 Ishan Porel to Vikash Singh, short of a good-length outside off-stump and Vikash trying to heave this one away fails to make any conctact with that delivery.
19 runs needed off the final over. Only a miracle can get Jharkhand over the line considering Vikash's batting abilities and Ishan Porel running in with the ball!
19.0
18.6 Akash Deep to Monu Kumar, FOUR! WHAT HAPPENED THERE? Short ball on stump line and Monu pulls this one away high towards long-on the fielder makes a mess of it and ends up finding it's way to the boundary as well.
18.6 Akash Deep to Vikash Singh, NO BALL! Full-length ball outside off-stump and Vikash gets an outside edge on the drive to third man for a single. Free hit to follow!
18.5 Akash Deep to Monu Kumar, finally gets some bat on it, full-length ball outside off-stump and Monu gets some bat on it as he plays it towards third man for a single
18.4 Akash Deep to Monu Kumar, good-length ball outside off-stump and Monu makes room this time and but it ends up far from his reach at the end. Four dots!
18.3 Akash Deep to Monu Kumar, short ball again on the body and Monu is no position to make any sort of contact on that one.
18.2 Akash Deep to Monu Kumar, short ball outside off-stump and Monu tries to heave this one away over mid-wicket but fails to make any contact.
18.1 Akash Deep to Monu Kumar, full-length ball and Monu tries to scoop this one away but fails to make any contact this time
26 runs needed off the last 2 overs for Jharkhand! Can the leader with the ball for Jharkhand be the hero in the second innings as well?
