Bengal, Saurashtra ready for Ranji final

KOLKATA: A red-hot Bengal will have a chance to claim its first Ranji Trophy title in 33 years when it faces Saurashtra, bolstered by the return of pacer and domestic game heavyweight Jaydev Unadkat, in the summit clash here from Thursday.

Bengal will not just be hungry to win the title, but revenge will also be on its mind. The last time Bengal made the final in 2020, Saurashtra had won the title on the basis of first innings lead at its home turf in Rajkot.

Both the teams are set to cross swords in a Ranji final again, this time at Eden Gardens, a venue where Bengal had won its last Ranji Trophy way back in 1990.

It’s not that Bengal has been under-performing. It has been on an upward curve since the 2019-20 season, making it to the semifinals three times on the trot. It has played two finals in this period. In between, the 2020-21 season was abandoned because of COVID-19 pandemic.

The likes of opening batter Abhimanyu Easwaran, all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed and pacer Mukesh Kumar, who have been in the national radar for quite some time, are well aware that a title at the biggest stage of the domestic level could be a career-changing feat.

Pacer Akash Deep, with 37 wickets from nine matches, has been in red hot form this season, while youngster Sudip Gharmi has come of age as its second highest run-getter (789 runs).

Bengal’s main strength in the recent past has been its pace bowling and the troika of Akash Deep, Ishan Porel and Mukesh Kumar would look to exploit the Eden green-top.

But against a Saurashtra team that is bolstered by the return of left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat from the national side, the onus would be on the Bengal batters to give the winning edge by taking a first innings lead.