Internet Desk: Bengal finds themselves in a commanding position against Punjab after Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy Group A clash in Lohnu at Bilaspur.
Opener Sayan Sekhar Mondal was the star for Bengal as he scored his maiden first class ton against a listless Punjab bowling.
Mondal’s 135-run knock was the highlight of a fine batting performance by Bengal. His knock included 22 boundaries and faced 200 balls.
The 27 year old cricketer from Durgapur credited his knock to skipper Manoj Tiwary and coach Sairaj Bahutule. “I played club cricket as an opener but due to some reasons got demoted down the order. Manoj and our coach Sairaj Sir gave me confidence at the start of the season to open the innings,” said Sayan.
Asked to comment on his innings, he said, “I went into bat with a focus to stay as long as I can in the middle. I was very careful to start with as the conditions were challenging in the firsts session. The early wicket of Abhimanyu also made me cautious. Sudip helped me gain in confidence.”
Sayan, who has been in and out of the Bengal team for the last 5-6 years, thanked VVS Laxman.
“The tips I got from Laxman Sir during the Vision 20-20 camp has immensely helped my game. I would also like to mention the name of Wasim Jaffer who gave me invaluable tips during the match against Vidharbha last season. The stint with Knight Riders in the IPL also helped me develop my game.”
Sayan was given tremendous support from left hander Sudip Chatterjee who scored a solid half century (51 runs) and Agniv Pan who made 70 runs. Skipper Manoj Tiwary too chipped in with 45 runs.
Bengal at stumps is 332/5 with Pankaj Shaw and Pragyan Ojha remaining not out on 11 and 2 respectively.
Sandeep Sharma and Vinay Chaudhary picked up two wickets apiece for Punjab.
Brief Scores:
Bengal: 332/5 in 89 overs (Sayan Mondal 135, Agniv Pan 70, Sandeep Sharma 2/70).