article by Suvankar Roy
Bengal falls by 107 runs to Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare Trophy despite a heroic century from Shahbaz Ahmed.
At the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, Shahbaz Ahmed was a one-man whirlwind. With a fighting century and sheer grit, he gave it his all—but how much can one man do? Due to a collective failure from the rest of the batting lineup, Bengal suffered a massive blow in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, succumbing to a 107-run defeat against a dominant Hyderabad side.
After winning the toss and opting to field, Bengal was buried under a mountain of runs. Playing only his third List ‘A’ match, Aman Rao etched his name into the history books.
- 154 balls, 200 not out!
- 12 boundaries and 13 towering sixes.
Rao unleashed a total carnage on the Bengal bowlers, propelling Hyderabad to a mammoth 352/5 in their 50 overs.
Mohammed Shami fought valiantly, finishing with figures of 3/70 in 10 overs, including a maiden. While Shahbaz and Rohit Kumar picked up a wicket each, the rest of the attack—Akash Deep, Mukesh Kumar, and Karan Lal—were taken to the cleaners as the Hyderabad batters dominated.
Chasing a daunting 353, Bengal’s pursuit began on the worst possible note. Debutant opener Sumit Nag fell for just 10 runs off 14 balls, trapped LBW by a fiery Mohammed Siraj.
The real catastrophe struck in the fifth over. In a single over, both captain Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sudip Gharami were dismissed, leaving the scoreboard—and the Bengal fans—in stunned silence. With Karan Lal and Sumanta Gupta also failing to fire, Bengal was reeling at 50/4 in just 7.5 overs. The match was slipping away before it had truly begun.
Veteran Anustup Majumdar joined Shahbaz Ahmed to steady the ship. Majumdar played a solid knock of 59 off 72 balls, but the spotlight belonged entirely to Shahbaz. 9 fours, 4 sixes—108 off 113 balls.
Every shot screamed defiance; every run was fueled by determination. But cricket is a team game, and a lone warrior cannot win a war. Bengal’s innings eventually folded for 245 in 44.4 overs.
Mohammed Siraj was the chief destroyer for Hyderabad, finishing with clinical figures of 4/58 in 10 overs.
The Road Ahead: An Uphill Task Against Uttar Pradesh
Despite this heavy defeat, Bengal remains in 3rd place in Elite Group B with 16 points from 6 matches and a Net Run Rate of +0.595. They are currently tied on points with Vidarbha and Baroda, but their toughest test is yet to come.
This Thursday, a wounded but desperate Bengal faces the “Invincibles”—Uttar Pradesh.
With 6 wins in 6 matches, UP has already secured a knockout berth. Bengal must now find a way to stop the juggernaut if they want to keep their championship dreams alive.