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The 81 Runs By Wriddhiman Saha Helped Bengal to Get A Fabulous Win Against Hyderabad

[caption id="attachment_3799" align="alignnone" width="580"] On a day when Wriddhiman Saha stroked a powerful 81 to guide Bengal to it's first win in Syed Mustaq Ali , Laxmi Ratan Shukla played his first club match post retirement .Image Source : Hindu & Xtra Time[/caption]   Nagpur: Wridhiman Saha’s swashbuckling innings of 81 runs off 47 balls helped Bengal to register their first win against Hyderabad in Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy match in Nagpur on Saturday. Replying to Bengal’s mammoth score of 185, Hyderabad crumbled to a meager total of 124(all out) thereby losing by 61 runs at the Vidharba Cricket Association Ground. Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary won the toss and opted to bat. They began scoring at the speed of light and scored 92 runs in just 10 overs. Bengal batted their full quota of 20 overs and finished with an average run rate of 7.59. Wriddhiman Saha, the first player to score a century in an IPL final match was the star performer of the day, scored a fiery 81 runs off 47 balls. “For the past few days I had been restless thinking about my poor run since I was in of form in recent past, particularly in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy. As a senior I should be leading the team from the front. I am feeling relieved that I could contribute in the team’s winning cause.” said Saha. Wridhiman’s brilliant innings was studded with seven fours and five sixes. He single handedly demolished the Hyderabad bowling attack. When asked about Bengal’s opponent on Sunday, ‘Tamil Nadu’s batting lineup is in excellent form and Bengal must try their level best to play their best game if they want to entertain any chance of winning. Tamil Nadu will be playing with world class bowlers like R. Ashwin and Balaji.”added Saha. Sayan Sekhar Mandal gave Saha a good company, scoring a fluent half century off just 41 balls. Sayan contributed with the ball as well picking up a couple of useful wickets. Captain Manoj Tiwari also chipped in with a useful 29 runs. Mohammad Shami bent his back today, bowling with an express pace as he picked up 3 important wickets in just 2.2 overs. Hyderabad innings began on a poor note and got worse as the match progressed. Md Shami drew first blood taking prized wicket of Tanmay Agarwal with just six runs on the board. ”It feels good to be back in form. Especially with the Australian tour coming soon. So I just need to play equally well tomorrow so that I can go to Australia with a positive mindset.” said Shami. The second wicket to fall for Hyderabad was that of GH Vihari in the very next over. After the initial in road by the Bengal bowlers the Hyderabadi batsmen started increasing their run rate and took their total to 55 in 5.3 overs. Akash Reddy who was just beginning to look threatening got out after he scored 32 runs off just 18 balls. Reddy’s wicket led to a massive downslide for Hyderabad batting order. They failed to recover after till the match ended prematurely with the massive failure of the tail enders to make an impression. When Pragyan Ojha was asked about his bowling experience today he said that he did not get any assistance from the pitch. He felt that it was a very batsman-friendly wicket. ”We are doing well but we still have a long way to go before we reach the finals. It will not be easy to say the least.” added Ojha. Hyderabad was all out for 124 runs in just 16.2 overs. All in all it was a comprehensive 61 run victory for the Bengal boys at Nagpur on Saturday. Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary had a hamstring injury due to which he could not take the field during Hyderabad batting. Vice Captain Ashoke Dinda led Bengal. Manoj is doubtful for Bengal’s next match against Tamil Nadu on Sunday. Meanwhile, Laxmi Ratan Shukla played his first match on his post retirement. Shukla bowled 5 overs and picked one wicket after just conceding 3 runs. It was after a long time the former Bengal captain was seen playing a local league match in it’s group stage.