Railways in command

That performance was built significantly around an 81-run partnership between wicket keeper Mahesh Rawat and a newcomer Prashanth Awasthi,playing in his first season. Rawat joined Awasthi when Railways were 103 for four. At that point the match was still in the balance. Awasthi though belied his inexperience to score an impressive 73,while Rawat contributed 52.

The duo always seemed in control of the situation,leaving Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary rotating his bowlers and field settings in quest of a wicket. When Tiwary seemed to be at his wits end,former India captain Sourav Ganguly got into the act but even his suggestions didnt yield desired results.

Bengal suffered misfortune when their opener Arindam Das spent the entire day with his arm in a sling after falling awkwardly while fielding in the morning. A decision on Dass fitness will be taken on Friday.

The game is a must-win for both teams,and currently Railways holds the advantage on a pitch offering sharp turn and on which an unnerving number of deliveries kept low.