Sibsankar Roy struck a brilliant 83 off just 53 balls as Bengal's batting failed once again to slip to a 26-run defeat against Assam in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Twenty20 cricket tournament here on Monday. Assam’s third consecutive win propelled it to the No. 2 spot in Group D.
Set 163 to win, Bengal was dealt an early blow when opener Vivek Singh was caught behind off Mukhtar Hussain.
Kanishk Seth was promoted as a pinch hitter but the move backfired after the left-arm pacer was caught short of his crease by wicketkeeper Wasiqur Rahman.
And when Abhimanyu Easwaran’s top-edge was snaffled up at point three overs later, Bengal was left wobbling at 34 for three inside the first six overs.
Goswami hangs on
Shreevats Goswami, the in-form batsman, struggled to time the ball on a two-paced pitch but hung on for a 34-run fifth-wicket stand with Wriddhman Saha.
However, Saha’s dismissal off Hussain compounded the problems. With the asking rate climbing, Goswami perished for 43 off Riyan Parag.
Earlier, Ashoke Dinda removed openers Sarupam Purkayastha and Pallav Das in quick succession after Bengal put Assam in.
Dinda bowled an incisive first spell conceding only five in two overs.
Porel’s fine spell
Ishan Porel further limited the scoring opportunities, bowling three overs on the trot giving away just 14.
Sibsankar tried to inject life into Assam’s otherwise sedate scoring up front, collecting four boundaries off Seth, two of those glorious cover-drives.
He brought up his fifty off 36 balls and added 137 for the third wicket with Parag.
Sibsankar was eventually run out for a 53-ball 83, but Parag’s quickfire half-century ensured Assam reached an eventually winning total. Dinda finished with four for 17.
In another match, Karnataka rolled over minnow Mizoram by 137 runs to consolidate its position at the top of Group D.
Toying with the attack
Rohan Kadam and Karun Nair toyed with the opposition attack, plundering 11 boundaries and eight sixes between them as the first-timer from North East wilted.
The duo added an enterprising 128 for the second wicket, with Karnataka breaching the 100-run mark in just 10.3 overs.
Rohan and Karun brought up their half-centuries off 39 and 26 balls respectively.
Twenty fours and 11 sixes in total were hit by the Karnataka batsmen as leg-spinner Sinan Khadir ended up leaking 54 in four overs — the most expensive of the seven bowlers used.
Mizoram openers Taruwar Kohli and Akhil Rajput put on an opening stand of 63 but their dismissals sealed the team’s fate.
For Karnataka, Shreyas Gopal picked up four wickets giving away eight runs.
