Bengal reach 98 for two chasing 472 for victory

Mumbai, Feb 4 (UNI) Bengal captain Deep Dasgupta, with his gritty unbeaten 43, kept his team in with a chance to win after Mumbai set a target of 472 for victory on the third day of the five-day Ranji Trophy Super League final at the Wankhede stadium here today.

At close on the third day, their in-form bastman Manoj Tiwari (19) was giving Dasgupta company. Bengal now need a further 374 for victory with eight wickets standing.

Earlier, Mumbai second innings folded up for 294 at the stroke of tea on this third day with Ranadeb Bose being the strike bowler for Bengal with five for 71.

Starting the day at 113 for two, Mumbai soon lost half centurion Wasim Jaffer for 53 being caught and bowled by Bose with Mumbai on 119 for three. Jaffer faced 92 balls and his innings was laced with eight fours and a six, all of them coming the previous evening.

Next in was the man the crowd was waiting to see, first innings centurion batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. A huge roar greeted Tendulkar as he walked out to the middle, but he was definitely not at his best.

In the first innings he had stamped his authority on the game in a dramatic fashion, but in the second dig he was less assured. More than once he was surprised by a bit of extra pace or bounce and took blows on the body, most noticeably when he was late on a pull shot against Ashok Dinda and was struck flush on the helmet.

Saurav Sarkar even managed to draw out an error when Tendulkar hit one uppishly back at the bowler, but Sarkar juggled the offering and could not latch on to it.

Still, interspersed between some less than perfect shots, were the gems. The whip through the onside consistently beat the field, and back-foot punches through cover sped away with ease.

In the end, it was a change in the bowling that brought relief for Bengal. Dinda, who had bowled a long spell, gave way to Sourashish Lahiri, and Tendulkar took a bit of a chance. He attempted to hit a short ball wide of the man at cover, but only managed to find Manoj Tiwari. Lahiri had Tendulkar's wicket for the second time in the game, this time only for 43 runs.

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