Ishan Porel on a helpful wicket with the new ball was too hot for Jammu and Kashmir as the pacer set up an easy wicket win for Bengal with his spell of six for 34 in the Elite Group-C Vijay Hazare Trophy match here on Monday.
Electing to bat, J&K was bowled out for a paltry 169 and in reply, Bengal chased down the target with ease in 28 overs thanks to half-centuries from openers Abhimanyu Easwaran (51, 55b, 8x4) and Shreevats Goswami (86 n.o., 80b, 10x4, 1x6).
Porel struck in his first over of the day when he had Qamran Iqbal playing on before accounting for Shubham Khajuria, caught at slips in his next over. Ashoke Dinda then had Shubham Singh Pundir caught behind.
Porel was impeccable with his line just outside the off-stump and with bounce in the wicket, the tall pacer was tough to handle.
The J&K batsmen did not help their cause by hanging their bats out without conviction and edging it.
The 21-year-old Porel, who was part of the under-19 World Cup-winning squad last year, then struck twice in his fifth over when he sent back Parvez Rasool and Abdul Samad, both the batsmen edging to second slip as J&K was reduced to 26 for five.
Opener Ahmad Banday was the only batsman who looked in control for a while before he edged off-spinner Arnab Nandi to the keeper.
Wicketkeeper Fazil Rashid and Ram Dayal (57 n.o.) then added 57 runs for the seventh wicket that helped the team go past the 100-mark. Rashid played well for his 43 before he gave a simple return catch to Manoj Tiwary.
Dayal played some big shots, hitting a couple of sixes in his unbeaten knock, before Porel and Dinda polished off the tail in their second spells.
In reply, skipper Abhimanyu began with some beautiful shots through the off-side before Goswami took charge with a four and six off Dayal.
From there on Goswami was the aggressor as he targetted Umar Nazir, hitting him for three consecutive boundaries in the 10th over.
The duo added 118 runs for the first wicket in 18.3 overs before Tiwary finished things in style with a six over long-on.
The scores:
J&K 169 in 48.2 overs (Ram Dayal 57 n.o., Fazil Rashid 43, Ishan Porel six for 34) lost to Bengal 175 for two in 28 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 51, Shreevats Goswami 86 n.o.) .
