The Bengal-Mumbai game remained finely poised after overnight rains wiped out nearly two sessions on the second day of the Buchi Babu Invitational at the IITM Chemplast Ground in Chennai on Saturday.
Bengal was 57 for one, with Aditya Purohit and Saurabh Kumar Singh unbeaten, after picking the remaining three Mumbai wickets to restrict its total to 266.
After fielding — and shadow practicing his shots — for 88 overs, opener Karan Lal had to walk back to the pavilion for a golden duck. Sylvester Dsouza, who had earlier frustrated Bengal with his batting, induced an edge off the very first ball of his spell.
Mumbai pacers Dsouza and Royston Dias were disciplined with their lines but didn’t pose significant threats. Purohit and Saurabh played the ball on merit, steadily accumulating runs through singles. The only big hit came off spinner Naman Pushpak, when Saurabh launched a massive six over mid-wicket; the ball soared over the boundary trees and had to be replaced.
Earlier, Bengal would have rued losing the advantage gained on the first day. Continuing at 224 for seven, Mumbai’s lower order, led by Himanshu Singh’s composed 59 off 141 balls, batted through 18 of the remaining 20 overs, consuming almost half of the only session of the day.
Dias began the day aggressively, smashing a six and a four off spinner Amir Gani, but Ishan Porel’s clever slower delivery soon had Dias’ middle stump cartwheeling. Dsouza then joined Himanshu at the crease, batting 53 deliveries with disciplined technique to frustrate the Bengal bowlers.
Dsouza’s skilful defence complemented Himanshu’s patient approach, with the pair prioritising preserving wickets over quick scoring. The partnership was eventually broken by part-timer Karan, who lured Himanshu into a shot that ended with a catch at short third. Ishan wrapped up the innings in the next over, finishing with impressive figures of four for 37.
Published on Aug 23, 2025
