Kolkata: Bengal began their Vijay Hazare Trophy (50-over) campaign on a disastrous note going down to Mumbai tamely by eight wickets in a Group E match in Ranchi on Saturday.
The Bengal batters could not even last their full quota of 50 overs and were bowled out for 121 in just 31.3 overs after Mumbai skipper Anjinkya Rahane won the toss and put them in.
Seasoned campaigner Manoj Tiwary, returning to the side for the first time this season, played a lone hand with a resolute 47 off 64 balls with the help of five fours and one six but wickets kept falling around him.
Pacer Tushar Deshpande dismissed both the openers Writtick Chatterjee (1) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (12) in quick succession. With veteran Anushtup Majumdar failing to get a double digit score and Sayan Sekhar Mondal, moving up the order, also failing, much depended on Shahbaz Ahmed. But the all-rounder too fell cheaply as half the Bengal batters was back in the hut by the 12th over.
Tiwary managed to take the team past the 100-run mark with some useful runs from No. 11 Mukesh Kumar (10 not out).
Tanush Kotian continued to make meaningful contributions for Mumbai. The all-rounder after hitting his match-winning six in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 final last Saturday, grabbed a career-best four for 31 to destroy Bengal. His spin partner Shams Mulani too joined the party claiming two for 14.
Bengal speedster Mukesh (2/20) dismissed both Mumbai openers Prithiv Shaw (26) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), but skipper Rahane (59*) held fort sharing a 75-run unbroken partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Hardik Tamore (18*) to take the side home in 30.2 overs.
Summarised scores (Gp E)Bengal 121 in 31.3 ovs (Manoj Tiwary 47; Tanush Kotian 4/31, Shams Mulani 2/14, Tushar Deshpande 2/23)Mumbai 123/3 in 30.2 ovs (Ajinkya Rahane 59*; Mukesh Kumar 2/20). Mumbai won by 8 wkts.
Railways 218/8 in 50 ovs (Shivam Chaudhary 46, Karn Sharma 40; Shamshuzama Kazi 2/26). Maharashtra 219/3 in 38.2 ovs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 124*, Rahul Tripathi 75). Maharashtra won by 7 wkts.
Mizoram 156/8 in 50 ovs (Shreevats Goswami 63, Vikash Kumar 41; Ankit Sharma 3/33). Pondicherry 158/3 in 29.4 ovs (Arun Karthik 59*). Pondicherry won by 7 wkts.
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