Record breaker Chatterjee helps Bengal take lead

The Indian selectors and BCCI officials always say that performance is the best criteria for selection and not age. Probably they do not keep in mind the name of Utpal Chatterjee. The left-arm spinner single-handedly guaranteed the first innings lead for Bengal against Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy Super League group A match at the Eden Gardens on Monday.

Bowling unchanged for 30.1 overs, save for a break of two overs, Chatterjee ended the Karnataka innings at 268 giving Bengal a slim hope of making it to the next stage. He had figures of 61.1-19-102-6 for the innings and his day's spell read 30.1-8-58 4. This was Chatterjee's fifth five-wicket haul in the season. He also broke Chetan Sharma's record of 45 wickets in a season for Bengal, achieved in 1993-94. Chatterjee ended the day with 48 wickets.

At the end of the day's play, Saba Karim felt that Karnataka played too defensively. Indeed, except for Dodda Ganesh and Venkatesh Prasad who added 54 runs for the ninth wicket in 70 minutes all the others allowed the bowlers to dominate.

Chatterjee started the slide in the eighth over of the morning when he had Barrington Rowland caught of the glove at slip. The batsman had scored 53. Then Devang Gandhi, whom Chatterjee used as a part time bowler had A.Vijay caught at mid wicket. The batsman mistimed his pull shot.

The new ball taken at 100 overs also provided a wicket as Abdul Masood bowled B. Akhil with a ball that kept low. Then Chatterjee had counterpart Sunil Joshi leg before with a ball that straightened after pitching for 34. Ganesh and Prasad however fought back gallantly. Both hit left arm spinner Vishal Yadav for a six apiece. Ganesh however was distinctly lucky with three lives. Chatterjee and Shukla failed to hold caught and bowled chances. The former however, sustained a hairline fracture on his right thumb in attempting the catch. Ganesh was finally caught by Haldipur at slip of Yadav. The innings finally ended when Chatterjee castled Prasad after the batsman had made 37 with three boundaries and a six.

Bengal lost Alokendu Lahiri early in the second innings. However, Devang Gandhi (39) and Haldipur (25) took the score to 75 without any furthur loss.