Exploiting a spin-friendly track, Saurashish Lahiri wreaked havoc with a career-best seven-wicket haul as Bengal sealed a spot in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals after a gap of six years, courtesy their narrow four-run win over formidable Tamil Nadu, here today.
Needing 185 to win, Tamil Nadu, starting the day at 102 for one, were shot out for 180 as Bengal got six points from the match to take their tally to 24 from eight games.
With Baroda on the verge of losing their match against Saurashtra, having conceded first innings lead, Bengal have ensured their passage to the last-eight stage.
The victory comes as a major boost as it came on a pitch that was virtually kept under-prepared by the host association in order to ensure a smooth passage into knock-out.
In the end, the move by Tamil Nadu coach WV Raman backfired badly as veteran Lahiri ripped through the middle-order today.
"We didn't have Manoj Tiwary (injured), Wriddhiman Saha and Mohammed Shami (on national duty) yet we have beaten two domestic heavyweights like UP and Tamil Nadu in two matches. I tell youngsters like Writtick (Chatterjee), Abhimanyu (Easwaran), Gitimoy (Basu) that more than runs, what we needed is big heart. They showed that they have a big heart," Bengal skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla told PTI from Chennai.
Veteran off-spinner Lahiri with match-figures of 10/95 was the wrecker-in chief as he removed Dinesh Karthik (62), S Badrinath (21), Baba Indrajith (2) to set alarm bells ringing TN camp.
"It's not my best performance as I consider my five-for against Karnataka at Mysore on a flat deck some seven seasons back as my best effort. Here I was getting help from the track. But yes, this is the most special win of my 15-year domestic career," an ecstatic Lahiri said.
