Manoj Tiwary's belligerent 101-ball 130 followed by seamer Veer Pratap Singh's six-wicket haul enabled Bengal to beat a spirited Vidarbha by 17 runs and
enter the semi-finals of the National One Day Championship for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Rajkot on Thursday.
Put into bat, Bengal scored a challenging 318 for five in 50 overs with Manoj smashing his way to an innings that included four boundaries and nine towering sixes. The knock will certainly help him remain in India contention as his performance was keenly watched by national selector Vikram Rathour.
In reply, Vidarbha failed to cross the line despite twin centuries from left-handed opener Faiz Fazal (105) and India discard Subramanium Badrinath's 100, as they managed 301 for eight in 50 overs.
"Normally, we play on pitches back home where scoring runs isn't that easy. Therefore, when you get an opportunity on a batting beauty like this, you want to make the most of it," Manoj said after the match.
Bengal's dominance at national level in the 50-over format was once again established as they have now made it to the semi-finals in six of the last eight editions (including the current one). Out of the six, they have been in four finals winning the 2012 edition. Young medium-pacer Veer recorded career-best figures of 6 for 51, providing his team with crucial breakthroughs at junctures when it looked like the opposition was running away with the game.
His clever change-ups and the effective slower deliveries in batting Powerplay brought Bengal back in the match after Vidarbha were in cruise mode at 211 for two.
Earlier, it was Manoj who carried the bulk of the responsibility on his shoulders. He did get support from the in-form left-hander Shreevats Goswami (84, 113 balls), who also hit nine boundaries. The duo added 142 runs for the second wicket. Bengal's no 1 batsman was severe on the spin troika - offies Akshay Wakhare, Badinath and left-arm spinner Ravi Jangid, repeatedly carting them over long-on and long-off.
Brief Scores:
Bengal 318-5 in 50 overs (Manoj Tiwary 130, Shreevats Goswami 84, Subhajit Banerjee 30) beat Vidarbha 301-8 in 50 overs (S Badrinath 100, Faiz Fazal
105, Veer Pratap Singh 6-51).
Odisha edge past Goa by a run to enter semis
In another thrilling battle, Odisha prevailed a tense finish to edge past Goa by one run and book their semi-final spot.
Put into bat at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Odisha rode on contrasting centuries from Anurag Sarangi (112) and skipper Biplab Samantaray (100) to post a commanding 289 all out in 49.4 overs.
Goa pace spearhead Saurabh Bandekar turned on the heat with a five-wicket haul but Sarangi and Samantaray stitched together a 188-run fourth-wicket partnership to put Odisha on top. The duo were like fire and ice and if Sarangi scored at run-a-ball, hitting 12 hours and a six, then Samantaray blazed to his century in 73 balls, laced with 11 fours and 2 sixes.
Chasing 290 for a win, opener Amogh Desai scored a strokeful ton and was single-handedly taking Goa towards victory before the Swapnil Asnodkar-led side created harakiri to finish on 288 for nine in 50 overs.
The 192-run second-wicket partnership between Desai and Sagun Kamat (92 not out), who retired hurt, when the score read 195 for one, helped Goa look strong on 218 for two, before falling apart.
Medium-pacer Samantaray and left-arm spinners' Paresh Patel and Dhiraj Singh picked up 2 wickets each to reduce Goa to 270 for eight before Shadab Jakati nearly shocked Odisha with a delightful cameo.
Jakati, who had also picked up a wicket with his left-arm spin, though was left disappointed on 26 after his 16-ball knock nearly gave Goa the win.
But No.11 batsman Sagar Naik was run out and an injured Kamat came on to fight but the left-handed Jakati could only sneak in a single on the last ball.
Brief Scores:
Odisha 289 all out 49.4 overs (Anurag Sarangi 112, Biplab Samantaray 100; Saurabh Bandekar 5-37, Darshan Misal 2-56) beat Goa 288-9 in 50 overs (Amogh Desai 110, Sagun Kamat 92 not out, Shadab Jakati 26 not out; Biplab Samantaray 2-50, Paresh Patel 2-70 and Dhiraj Singh 2-35).
Image: Manoj Tiwary
Photo: Getty Images
