Delhi in trouble after Ganguly finishes on 152

Continuing from their 265/4 on Day One,Bengal lost overnight batsmen Sourav Ganguly and Wriddhiman Saha,but not before the duo had put on a 249-run fifth-wicket partnership. Bengal finished their first innings at a healthy 522,and the pressure of chasing down a mammoth total showed during Delhi’s reply. Delhi ended the day at 68 for the loss of two wickets,needing another 454 runs to grab the lead; more importantly,they need another 304 runs to avoid a follow-on.

Ganguly added 42 runs to his overnight ton to finish on 152,while Saha made 120 before Pradeep Sangwan (4/113) removed both. However,the run flow did not stop as Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla (132) joined the party,combining with speedster Ashoke Dinda (41) down the order to put on 129 runs for the eighth wicket.

Batting track

Making the most of the conditions,Shukla carted Delhi bowlers around and brought up his century in quick time. At the other end,Dinda’s 41 was a compilation of largely mindless but fortunate strokes that left Delhi frustrated.

In reply,Delhi openers Ankur Julka (1) and Rahul Yadav (7) were snapped up by the experienced Ranadeb Bose (2/20) in the fading light.

After two wayward overs,Bose got both to snick behind to Saha. Aditya Jain (34 batting) and Mithun Manhas (24 batting) stemmed the rot for the day. But Delhi’s next big hurdle will be on the third morning — against an in-form Bose and a tearaway Dinda.

“If the pitch behaves the way we expect it to,our spinners will be the key to winning the match for us. But before that,the first hour on Thursday will be crucial,” Shukla said.