Bengal players see red on Eden Gardens green

Sourav Ganguly wanted practice for the pacy Pakistan wickets. So he suggested the Eden Gardens strip be a greentop for their crucial Ranji Trophy tie versus Tamil Nadu.

The former India skipper, on a comeback fight, produced carefully crafted innings notching up a watchful 59 on the first day that claimed 13 wickets, Ganguly remained unbeaten on another carefully grafted 25 today. He also rolled his arm over to pick five wickets in the two innings. But the greens backfired badly on his team, Bengal. So much so that Deep Dasgupta & Co, fancied title contenders till a few days back, now stand the chance of even failing to make it to the last four. With nine points, Bengal next face holders Railways. And though Railways aren’t the same force, Bengal title-hope is in balance.

Bengal’s submission eventually made Ganguly confess that he “won’t seek a green pitch again in the future”, according to sources in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).

Although the CAB mandarins maintained that Ganguly had dropped in a “faint suggestion” only, and it was “mainly a unanimous decision”, inside sources clearly pointed out Ganguly’s eagerness in the CAB’s green decision.