Sudip Chatterjee Anchors Bengal’s Inning with Unbeaten Fifty Against Haryana on Day 1 of Ranji Trophy Round 7

On an attritional opening day at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli, Sudip Chatterjee’s resilient performance (78 not out, 177 balls, 5 boundaries) allowed Bengal to hold their ground against Haryana in their Elite Group C match on Thursday. Despite losing partners, Chatterjee maintained his composure, guiding Bengal to 168 for five before play was halted due to poor light.

The day commenced with no action in the first session due to fog and poor visibility. In the afternoon, Chatterjee demonstrated his skill and patience with a noteworthy 120-ball half-century. He managed to hit the match’s initial two boundaries off Aman Kumar and Anshul Kamboj, setting the tone for a period where defensive play was prioritized.

Abhimanyu Easwaran adapted quickly after nearly edging a delivery from Kamboj outside the off-stump. Haryana’s captain, Ankit Kumar, introduced spin by the eighth over, with Amit Rana and Tanmay Baloda generating some purchase. However, the Bengal openers successfully navigated this challenge, reaching only 50 runs by the 19th over as they relied on a conservative approach, punctuated occasionally by carefully executed reverse and slog sweeps.

Just before Tea, Baloda helped Haryana reclaim some ground by taking quick wickets. Abhimanyu was trapped by a skidding delivery, while Sudip Gharami was caught at second slip after fishing at a wide one. Haryana missed a chance at a third wicket when Yuvraj Singh dropped a catch off Anustup Majumdar’s glove at short leg.

Read the full highlights of Ranji Trophy, Round 7 Day 1

After Tea, Majumdar capitalized on his second chance, hitting boundaries off Aman and Baloda. However, his innings ended when Kamboj, extracting extra bounce, had him caught in the slips. Shahbaz Ahmed also benefited from luck early in his innings but was eventually dismissed after a failed slog sweep against Amit. Chatterjee, meanwhile, managed a couple of boundary shots off Aman, but Baloda struck again, dismissing Sumanta Gupta leg-before to further deplete Bengal’s lineup as they head into the second day.

Published on Jan 29, 2026