Bengal up against a wall

After allowing Mumbai to score 412, hosts Manoj Tiwary & Co face follow-on as they’re bowled out for 199; centurion Anustup Majumdar fights lone battle at Eden

After a near-total domination of Day Two, Mumbai have Bengal staring at a follow-on and worse in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B tie at the Eden Gardens. Having put up 412 in their first innings, Mumbai dismissed the hosts for a mere 199 before stumps were drawn on Saturday. Anustup Majumdar stood tall amidst the ruins with an unbeaten 108, his 16th first-class century and the third this season. 

Earlier, Shivam Dube & Co added 82 to the overnight 330 for six, 65 of them coming from the last pair of Dhawal Kulkarni and Royston Dias. Number 11 Dias remained unbeaten with a 43-ball 46 that had seven boundaries and a six.

Suraj Jaiswal, in only his third first-class game, finished with six for 124. The 24-year-old pacer had picked up eight wickets, including a fifer, when Bengal played Assam in Guwahati last week. When the hosts began their reply, the pitch was still aiding movement. Lacking determination and discipline, Bengal’s top-order only made it easy for Dhawal Kulkarni and Mohit Avasthi to make early inroads.

Also Read: 'Brilliant' Bumrah

Having Bengal tottering at 11 for three by the eighth over, Mumbai faced a roadblock in skipper Manoj Tiwary and Majumdar. The veterans, both flush from centuries in the Assam match, stitched together 78 runs for the fourth wicket but it seemingly failed to inspire their teammates.

Dube broke the partnership by having Tiwary, 38, edge one for second slip Prithvi Shaw to dive to his right and pull off a fine catch. Majumdar, 39, stayed put even as Bengal’s batting crumbled around him, for a 127-ball innings punctuated by 12 boundaries and three sixes.

Brief scores
Mumbai 412 all out (S Dube 72, S Shedge 71, T Kotian 67, R Dias 46*, A Ankolekar 46; S Jaiswal 6-124, M Kaif 2-67) v Bengal 199 all out (A Majumdar 108*, M Tiwary 36; M Avasthi 3-63, S Dube 2-38, R Dias 2-58)

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