Mohammed Shami grabbed a match haul of seven wickets as Mohun Bagan beat Bhowanipore Club by 296 runs in India's first pink ball four-day match under lights, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Tuesday.
The India pacer followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with figures of 2 for 82, while part-time seamer Vivek Singh was the wrecker-in-chief in the second essay with 5 for 32 as Bhowanipore Club was bundled out for 199 in 48.3 overs.
Mohun Bagan thus won the Cricket Association of Bengal’s Super League final, which was played with pink kookaburra balls under lights in order to get the Eden 'ready' for India's proposed first day/night Test against New Zealand in October.
"I'll prefer pink ball any day; hope this pink ball match prospers. The best thing is you got to bowl only one session under the sun. Then the ball starts doing the talk once the lights are on," Shami, who was adjudged man of the match, said.
"I got reverse swing in the first innings. I think if the condition is dry, the ball will reverse. The seam usually does not remain intact after 40 overs, but it's not the case with the pink ball."
Resuming the day on 132 for six, Bhowanipore's innings on the final day lasted less than an hour as Singh cleaned up the tail, dismissing Ravikant Singh, who edged one behind the stumps.
Having recovered after knee surgery, Shami, who is eyeing a Test recall for the four-Test West Indies series next month, said his focus in this match was about getting his rhythm back.
"I'm working on getting back my rhythm and wanted to ball long spell. But then I thought of taking a break after 15 overs to give others an opportunity to bowl with the pink ball," he said.
"I now feel the same way I was earlier. The time spent during the injury was the worst part of my life. I was along with my wife alone, and was bed-ridden for three months, took two months to walk. Then gradually got my fitness back at the NCA."
Incidentally, Shami made both his first class debut and Test debut at the Eden Gardens, which saw his career-best nine-wicket haul.
"This ground is always special to me, and the pink ball debut has made it even more special."
Brief Scores:
Mohun Bagan: 299 off 87.5 overs & 349 off 88.1 overs (Arindam Ghosh) 125.
Bhowanipore Club: 153 off 38.5 overs (Mohammed Shami 5-42) & 199 off 48.3 overs (Subham Chatterjee 50; Vivek Singh 5-32).
