Bengal couldn’t have hoped for a better start in their Cooch Behar Trophy Elite match against Chandigarh. On Sunday at the Bengal Cricket Ground in Kalyani, the home side batted and ended the opening day on a towering 378 for 3 in 86 overs.
Chandigarh had won the toss and handled the bowling. But as the sun moved more West, it seemed like a situation that had gone out of Chandigarh's hands a long time ago.
During the first half, Bengal's performance had been inconsistent and unreliable. After losing wickets at 37, 81, and 108 they formed an illusion of an even contest. Rajdeep Paswan’s 13, Aditya Roy’s quick 40, and Virat Chauhan’s 4 failed to build the confidence of the supporters. The scoreboard hinted at a day that could have gone either way.
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Chandra-Sayan's 270-run stand puts Chandigarh to the sword
Skipper Chandrahas Das and Sayan Pal stepped into the field with a different game plan. They settled in and took control of the match. Their consistent strokes proved Chandigarh's strategy unsuccessful, followed by a 270-run unbroken stand for the fourth wicket.
Chandrahas scored an unbeaten 205 off 219 deliveries, which included 34 fours and 4 sixes. On the other hand, while Chandrahas was busy orchestrating his storm in the field, Sayan Pal kept his calm and engaged in his own battle with precision. At the end of the day, he scored 104 off 141 balls, comprising 14 boundaries and 3 sixes.
Chandigarh looked for opportunities to score wickets, but in front of Bengal's mountain of runs, they barely got a glimpse of the other side. They successfully took out Parth, Sameer Kularia, and Ishan.
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While Chandigarh struggled, the big question now is: will Chandigarh be able to overcome this mountain of run?
