article by Suvankar Roy
Despite having several star players in the ranks, Bengal’s struggles in the shorter formats of the game persist as they have once again been eliminated in the group stages. After a promising start to their Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign, the team suffered a sudden slump in form, mirroring their recent early exit from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Finishing with 16 points from 7 matches, Bengal’s journey ended prematurely as they failed to secure a spot in the knockouts.
In a “do-or-die” encounter against group toppers Uttar Pradesh (UP), Bengal took the field with a depleted and shaky lineup. UP won the toss and elected to field first, putting Bengal under immediate pressure. The squad was hampered by injuries and tactical shifts; Shakir Habib Gandhi replaced the injured Abhishek Porel, Vishal Bhati came in for Sumanta Gupta in the middle order, and Ankit Mishra stepped in for Bengal’s strike bowler, Mukesh Kumar.
The opening duo of Karan Lal and Abhimanyu Easwaran failed to provide a solid foundation. While Easwaran looked good initially, he couldn’t convert his start into a big score, and Karan Lal’s poor run of form continued. Under immense pressure, Sudip Gharami played a spectacular knock of 94 runs, acting as the backbone of the innings. He found support from the consistent Shahbaz Ahmed, who contributed a valuable 43, while Akash Deep provided a late flourish with a blistering 33 off just 16 balls. Beyond these three, however, the batting lineup crumbled, and Bengal was eventually bowled out for 269 in 45.1 overs.
The target proved to be light work for Uttar Pradesh. They chased it down in just 42.2 overs with 5 wickets to spare. The star of the show was Dhruv Jurel, who smashed a magnificent 127 to take the game away from Bengal. Captain Aryan Juyal chipped in with a crucial half-century, and the dangerous Rinku Singh remained unbeaten on 37 to seal the victory.
Bengal’s bowling unit lacked bite throughout the innings. While seasoned campaigners like Mohammed Shami and others struggled with economy rates exceeding 7 runs per over, the young U-19 talent Rohit Kumar was the lone bright spot. Rohit showed great control, bowling 9.2 overs (including a maiden) and conceding only 45 runs while picking up a wicket, but his efforts weren’t enough to save Bengal from another disappointing exit.