Gharami, Porel hammer tons to put Bengal ahead

Sudip Gharami displayed his superb consistency and Abishek Porel his remarkable revival as they scored unbeaten hundreds to earn a vital 64-run first innings lead for Bengal on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group-C match against Delhi at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground here on Monday.

In reply to Delhi’s 240, the host finished the day at 304 for three with Gharami (122, 221b, 17x4) and Porel (114, 161b, 13x4, 1x6) holding fort with an unbroken 199-run stand.

Bengal started positively before debutant Ankur Paul managed to deflect a sharp Navdeep Saini delivery to the slips. Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, who received a blow on his helmet off Simarjeet Singh, departed while chasing a ball off Divij Mehra. Sudip Chatterjee was caught behind off off-break bowler Ayush Badoni as Bengal took lunch at 108 three.

The in-form Gharami shouldered the responsibility and consolidated the Bengal innings while guiding his younger partner Abishek Porel expertly.

As Delhi bowlers worked hard in hot and humid conditions, Gharami and southpaw Porel overcame different challenges with a single-minded approach. They batted for more than two sessions to put the host in a strong position.

The 27-year-old Gharami, who scored a hundred in the Duleep Trophy, treated the deliveries on merit while getting his 10th century. He drove nicely through covers, point and straight down the ground and swept well as spinners sent down 36 overs on the slow track.

Gharami, who had a lucky escape, registered his third consecutive century in three matches played across two seasons at the venue.

Porel drove and pulled well. He got two reprieves and waited anxiously on 99 for 20 minutes to score his second century, which came after more than two years. The 23-year-old, who recently spent 36 days behind bars in an alleged rape case, burst into tears following an emotional celebration.

The scores: Delhi — 1st innings: 240.

Bengal — 1st innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran c Rawat b Mehra 34, Ankur Paul c Doseja b Saini 17, Sudip Gharami (batting) 122, Sudip Chatterjee c Rawat b Badoni 2, Abishek Porel (batting) 114; Extras (b-14, w-1): 15; Total (for three wkts. in 79 overs): 304.

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-84, 3-105.

Delhi bowling: Mehra 12-3-34-1, Simarjeet 13-0-56-0, Saini 12-3-44-1, Shokeen 19-0-88-0, Badoni 13-2-37-1, Doseja 4-1-8-0, Lakra 6-0-23-0.