da esport bet： Bengal won their Ranji One-Day encounter againstAssam at the Calcutta Football and Cricket Groundby 27 runs
Sakyasen Mittra03-Dec-2000Bengal won their Ranji One-Day encounter againstAssam at the Calcutta Football and Cricket Groundby 27 runs. A few people had criticised RohanGavaskar for his approach to the game last season.The junior Gavaskar, it seems is out to prove apoint this year. After a failure against Tripura.Rohan gavaskar has been playing in the form thathelped him to win the best cricketer of the yearaward in 1998. It was because of his brilliantall-round performance today that Bengal overcame astiff resistance from Assam in the first match ofthe one-day fixtures in the East.Gavaskar scored 78 and then took one wicket.However, the utility of the innings that he playedwas because he took the match away from Assam.After the hosts at won the toss at the CC& FCground here today, Assam had reduced Bengal to atotal of 181 for the loss of six wickets in the42nd over. They managed to reach a match winningscore of 264 because of the left-hander’s effort.He launched into a brilliant counter offensivethat demoralized Assam to such an extent that theyfailed to recover for it. Before him, all thebatsmen had settled down only to perish on a pitchthat has always been known to be a batsman’sparadise in Calcutta. The likes of Devang Gandhiand Srikkanth Kalyani had consumed quite a numberof balls before being dismissed when they were intheir 20s. It was Gavaskar who went on to play themost significant innings of the match.Gavaskar was ably supported by India discardLakshmi Ratan Shukla. The medium pacer scored abreathtaking 35 in only 23 balls with three sixesoff the former Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner SunilSubramanium. Gavaskar and Shukla added 69 in 46balls and that changed the complexion of thematch. Gavaskar’s innings of 78 came off 98 ballswith seven boundaries and a six. Earlier, NikhilHaldipur, who had been called back to the sideplayed a dashing innings of 48 in only 50 balls toset the tempo of the game. He had 10 fours and wasspecially severe on the left arm medium pacerJaved Jaman, whom he repeatedly hit through thecovers.When Assam batted, except for Subhradeep Ghosh,the others failed to contribute. Ghosh for his 61in 70 balls had three boundaries and three sixes.He showed that he had the ability to hit the ballcleanly. Two straight sixes off the veteran UtpalChatterjee, were really a treat to watch. However,he lacked the support from the others in the side.He was forming a partnership of sorts withSukhwinder Singh. However, Chatterjee’s directthrow from mid wicket to break the nonstriker’send and dismiss Sukhwinder Singh ended whateverhopes that Assam were building. However, forBengal it was medium pacer Shibshankar Pal andleft-arm spinner Shiv Sagar Singh who impressed.