Kolkata Jharkhand took an enormous 591-run first innings lead however determined to bat once more as a substitute of imposing follow-on as their Ranji Trophy pre-quarterfinal towards Plate group toppers Nagaland dragged on the penultimate day on the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
Having nearly sealed the last-eight berth by advantage of their first innings lead, Jharkhand posted 132/2 of their second essay, for an general lead of 723 runs going into the ultimate day.
Opener Utkarsh Singh remained unbeaten on 50 from 106 deliveries, laced with six boundaries as Jharkhand continued to make use of the match for some “batting observe”, having notched a tall 880 in the first innings.
“What was the need for going for an outright win, when a first innings lead was enough for us to qualify (for quarterfinal),” Jharkhand skipper Saruabh Tiwary defended their marathon batting observe towards the ordinary-looking Nagaland assault.
“We would have positively gone for a win, had it been the situation to qualify for the knockout.”
Tiwary said the more important thing for them was to give their young batters the much-needed batting practice to boost their confidence ahead of a tough quarterfinal match.
“Throughout the season, we did not get any batting-friendly wickets. So this was a perfect opportunity for our batters to get some runs before playing the quarterfinal.
“Our team is full of youngsters, so the idea was to give them some batting practice. It will be a tough quarterfinal against a more experienced side, but they will be ready, energy level will be right up there to face the rigours of a five-day match,” he mentioned.
The wicket might have drawn some criticism for being a flat one, however curator Sujan Mukherjee blamed it on Nagaland’s poor fielding as a slew of catches have been dropped.
“What can I do, in the event that they proceed to drop catches — there have been greater than a dozen of them and Jharkhand made the perfect use of it,” Mukherjee said.
“Yes, the wicket was helping the batters, but the pacers also got some help early on and there was good carry but they (Nagaland) could not seize on the opportunities.”
The star of the day, nevertheless, was Nagaland’s wicketkeeper batter Chetan Bist who hit a resolute 122 not out.
Having stood behind the stumps for 203 overs earlier in Jharkhand’s first innings, Bist held the fort as solely three different Nagaland batters might notch double figures.
Earlier, resuming at 130/4, Nagaland misplaced two wickets inside the opening hour when left-arm seamer Sushant Mishra accounted for Abu Nechim (32) and Imliwati Lemtur (4).
Wickets saved on falling on the different finish however Bist stayed unbeaten as they have been bundled out for 289 in 103.3 overs.
Brief Scores
Jharkhand 880 and 132/2; 37 overs (Utkarsh Singh 50, Nazim Siddiqui 42). Nagaland 289; 103.3 overs (Chetan Bist 122 not out, Shrikant Mundhe 39, Abu Nechim 32; Shahbaz Nadeem 3/70). Jharkhand lead by 723 runs.
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