Shahbaz, Abhishek script Bengal turnaround

Bengal’s deputy sports minister and former skipper Manoj Tiwary showed his experience with a fighting 37 from 61 balls. Reeling at 242 for 6, Bengal unearthed a future star in the 19-year-old Abhishek, who showed utmost maturity and matched his senior partner, Shahbaz. The duo sealed the victory in 91.3 overs.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bengal head coach Arun Lal said: “Terrific performance, the wicket was extremely difficult to bat on as it was overcast and the wicket stayed moist till lunch.”

Lal heaped praise on Shahbaz and Porel. He said, “Shahbaz has an unbelievable cricket brain and remained calm under pressure. Abhishek Porel is a special talent, an out and out match-winner. Now the momentum is with us, and we hope to play good cricket in the tournament.”

Bengal skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran praised both the batters and bowlers for the remarkable comeback.

“Every player has contributed to the cause, as the batters have shown character the bowlers have done commendable jobs too,” Easwaran said. “It’s about believing in the hard work that we have put in. The best part is even when we had 349 runs to chase, every single member of the team believed that we can do the job.

“Shahbaz has batted with a lot of responsibility, special mention to Abhishek Porel- the character he showed, the attitude he was batting with was great to watch,” the skipper added.

Brief Scores: Baroda: 181 and 255 lost to Bengal 88 and 350/6 in 91.3 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 79, Shahbaz Ahmed 71 not out, Abhishek Porel 53 not out; Abhimanyusingh Rajput 3/73) by 4 wickets