Defeat increases Bengals woes

Ganguly and Laxmi Ratan Shukla 73 were the overnight batsmen as Bengal resumed on 163/4 in their second innings. When Ganguly was dismissed,the side needed a further 39 runs to prevent an innings defeat,and the last three wickets saved Bengal the blushes,occupying the crease for a further 105 minutes. The hosts were eventually bowled out for 246 in their second innings and Tamil Nadu had to score 32 runs without losing a wicket to earn the bonus point,which Abhinav Mukund 25 and Murali Vijay 9 managed in 4.3 overs. With 14 points,Tamil Nadu now lead Group B.

Ganguly to lead

meanwhile,Ganguly will continue to lead Bengal despite Manoj Tiwary,who had earlier been named skipper,returning from India duty. Tiwary will not be available throughout the season as he is among India probables. Also,we will be fighting to save relegation,so we wanted Tiwary to concentrate on his batting and play freely, CAB joint-secretary Sujan Mukherjee said.

Brief scores: Tamil Nadu 391 and 34/0 beat Bengal 176 and 246 LR Shukla 73; V Yomahesh 3/67,L Balaji 2/40