Abishek Porel's 149 and Mohammed Shami's five wickets carry Bengal past Delhi

Bengal opened their Ranji Trophy campaign with a nine-wicket win over Delhi in Kalyani, built on Mohammed Shami's new-ball control and centuries from Sudip Kumar Gharami and Abishek Porel

Bengal chose to bowl at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground, dismissed Delhi for 240 inside 78 overs on the opening day and were never headed after it. A first-innings 429 gave them a lead of 189, Delhi's 277 second time around left a target of 89, and the openers knocked it off in 15.3 overs.

Shami was the difference with the new ball. He took 4-30 from 17.3 overs in the first innings, nine of them maidens, and added 1-29 from 18 overs in the second, finishing the match with five wickets for 59 runs from 35.3 overs.

Delhi's resistance came almost entirely from their captain. Ayush Badoni took 5-43 with his off-spin to end Bengal's innings, then top-scored with 85 as his side tried to set a target worth defending.

Shami sets the tone on day one

Delhi lost Sanat Sangwan to Akash Deep inside six overs and never built the long partnership the morning demanded. Shami had Yash Dhull caught behind in his first spell, returned to trap Ayush Doseja lbw for 45, and later bowled Divij Mehra, his nine maidens squeezing a side already short of fluency.

Hrithik Shokeen alone played with any freedom, making 56 from 98 balls with two sixes and and the last two wickets added 52 to drag Delhi past 230.

Bengal's support bowling was tidy rather than threatening: Aamir Gani took 3-45, Akash Deep 2-74 and Mukesh Kumar 1-43 in an attack carrying three bowlers with Test caps.

Gharami and Porel take the game away

Bengal were 105 for 3 when Gharami and Porel came together, and 334 for 3 when they were parted — a fourth-wicket stand worth 229 that settled the match.

Gharami batted for most of two days for 133 from 235 balls, hitting 19 fours. Porel scored faster, taking 149 from 228 balls with 17 fours and a six.

Sumanta Gupta's 50 from 62 balls pushed the total to 429 and the lead to 189, and Bengal lost their last six wickets for 95 runs only after the damage was done.

Badoni's five-for keeps Delhi honest

Badoni bowled 18 overs for 5-43, taking four of the last five Bengal wickets and finishing with the best figures of the match. Mehra and Navdeep Saini took two each, Shokeen one for 115 from 26 overs.

Delhi then slipped to 59 for 3 in their second innings before Badoni's 85 from 134 balls, with ten fours, briefly made a contest of it. Anuj Rawat made 39 and Yash Dhull, who had retired not out at 15 for 1, returned to be dismissed at 199 for 5.

From 213 for 6 Delhi lost four wickets for 64 runs, and a lead of 88 was never going to be enough.

Pramanik grinds through the second innings

The second innings belonged to the spinners. Left-armer Pradipta Pramanik sent down 33 overs, 11 of them maidens, for 3-72, and Gani took 2-84 from 24 overs as Delhi batted into the fourth day.

Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar took a wicket each, and Sumanta Gupta finished the innings with 2-20 from 3.2 overs.

A short chase in Kalyani

Ankur Paul made 38 from 41 balls and put on 64 for the first wicket with Abhimanyu Easwaran before falling to Shokeen, the only wicket of the chase.

Easwaran finished unbeaten on 34 and Gharami on 16, and Bengal were home in 15.3 overs to complete the win in their Elite Group C opener.

Scorecard: Delhi 240 (Hrithik Shokeen 56, Mohammed Shami 4-30) and 277 (Ayush Badoni 85, Pradipta Pramanik 3-72); Bengal 429 (Abishek Porel 149, Sudip Kumar Gharami 133, Ayush Badoni 5-43) and 89 for 1. Bengal won by nine wickets.

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