HAR vs BEN, Ranji Trophy round 7: Sudip Chatterjee’s unbeaten fifty guides Bengal to 168/5 on opening day
Sudip Chatterjee (78 n.o., 177b, 5×4) was steadfast in his vigil despite losing partners, allowing Bengal to show up and survive on an attritional opening day against Haryana in their Elite Group C match at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli on Thursday.
After fog and poor light consumed the entire first session, Chatterjee braved the elements, struck a 120-ball half century, and took Bengal to 168 for five before poor light forced Stumps.
Ironically, however, Chatterjee struck the first two boundaries of the contest in the afternoon session – a glide past gully off Aman Kumar and chip over midwicket against Anshul Kamboj. But these were mere aberrations in the opening two hours where shouldering arms was trusted the most.
Abhimanyu Easwaran was quick to learn after Kamboj tempted him outside off and almost extracted an edge.
Haryana captain Ankit Kumar threw spinners into the fold as early as the eighth over. But any purchase or bounce extracted by Amit Rana and Tanmay Baloda was smothered by the opening pair, which had put up only 50 runs by the 19th over.
Even the more flamboyant options like the reverse and slog sweeps were measured, and deployed to pocket singles.
Left-arm orthodox Baloda allowed Haryana to tug its way back with quick wickets at the stroke of Tea. Abhimanyu was first, not quick enough to respond to a slider that skidded through and pinned him in front. In his next over, Baloda drifted one wide to Sudip Gharami, who poked and was snaffled at second slip.
Haryana could have had a third had Yuvraj Singh not spill a ricochet off Anustup Majumdar’s glove at short leg.
Ranji Trophy Highlights, Round 7 Day 1
Majumdar seemed to be making the most of his life when he whipped Aman through square leg and drilled Baloda through mid-on for boundaries after resumption. His luck, though, ran out against Kamboj, who generated extra bounce off a length to hit the bat’s shoulder and nab him in the cordon.
Shahbaz Ahmed drew from his share of fortune too, chasing a wide delivery from Aman and seeing the edge dissect the first and second slips. But he gambled it away on a lavish slog sweep against Amit, missed and was trapped in front of the stumps.
Sandwiched between these wickets were Chatterjee’s only full-bladed heaves of the day, which got him boundaries on either side down the ground off Aman. But Badola struck once more before close of play, getting Sumanta Gupta leg-before, to further chip away at Chatterjee’s support heading into the second day.
Published on Jan 29, 2026
