File photo of Abhimanyu Easwaran© X (Twitter)
Abhimanyu Easwaran continued his sublime run of form with a brilliant century as Bengal played out a draw with Uttar Pradesh on the final day of their Ranji Trophy encounter on Monday. Resuming the day at 78, Easwaran scored his 27th First-class hundred — his fifth century in the last nine innings — to help Bengal declare their second innings at 254/3, setting U.P. a target of 273 runs. Despite a challenging pitch and early setbacks, Priyam Garg's gritty century ensured the hosts managed to hold on for a draw. Bengal walked away with three points for their first-innings lead, while Uttar Pradesh had to settle for one.
Starting the day under overcast skies, the U.P. pacers struggled to generate any movement from the pitch. Bengal's opening pair of Easwaran and Sudip Chatterjee, who had already stitched together a century stand on Day 3, remained untroubled by the bowling attack. Yash Dayal's short-ball ploy was short-lived after the left-armer was cautioned for delivering three consecutive deliveries above shoulder height.
Easwaran, in particular, displayed great composure, bringing up his hundred off 140 balls. There was a moment of uncertainty when he survived a close lbw shout against leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam, but he quickly regained his focus to notch up another century. His partner, Sudip Chatterjee, also looked set for a century but fell for 93, trapped lbw by Saurabh Kumar.
After the quick dismissals of Sudip Gharami and Abishek Porel, who both fell to Nigam in consecutive deliveries, Easwaran accelerated, scoring at nearly a run-a-ball to stretch Bengal's lead beyond 250. With dark clouds hovering and only spinners allowed to bowl due to poor light, Bengal declared just before lunch, giving themselves a shot at forcing a result.
However, UP's resistance proved stubborn. Bengal's hopes for an early breakthrough materialized soon after lunch, with Mukesh Kumar trapping U.P. skipper Aryan Juyal lbw just two balls into the session. Swastik Chikara followed soon after, gifting a return catch to Mohammed Kaif, and when Siddarth Yadav was bowled by Kaif for eight, U.P. seemed to be in deep trouble at 52/3.
But Priyam Garg, showing immense resilience, took charge of the innings. With support from Nitish Rana, who added a steady 32-ball 7, Garg guided U.P. out of troubled waters. Despite the pain from multiple blows to the ribs, groin, and shoulder, Garg displayed both defiance and intent. He fended off a testing spell from Mukesh Kumar, particularly dealing with bouncers, while managing to keep the scoreboard ticking with well-timed boundaries.
As wickets continued to fall at the other end, Garg remained U.P's stronghold. He brought up his hundred off 142 balls, smacking Shahbaz Ahmed for a six over mid-on. His battling innings ensured that UP finished at 162 for six, forcing Bengal to settle for a draw.