Bengal still game for a fight; Saurashtra in no mood to relent

Still a long way to go, we will come back hard, says Bengal coach Shukla

Bengal coach L.R. Shukla did not give up hope in spite of the fact that the host trailed by 143 runs against Saurashtra on the second day of the Ranji Trophy final at the Eden Gardens here on Friday.

Optimistic about Bengal’s chances, Shukla said, “Three more days to go. The first session will be very important tomorrow. We will get a fresh session. If we get them all out early, then we will still have time (to put up a good total). Still a long way to go, we will come back hard.”

Shukla said while the track did not assist the bowlers as on the first day, the home team could have done better. “It was not that helpful for the pacers. There was not much lateral movement. A lot of blemishes were there from our side… I don’t think an extra spinner would have helped. It never favoured spin.”

Asked about Shahbaz Ahmed dropping Chirag Jani on 25, the Bengal coach said, “It’s part of the game.”

Saurashtra coach Niraj Odedra said his team would look to bat longer and pile up a big score. “We want to see through the first session. If we can extend that till evening, the longer we bat, the better it would be. The pitch eased out a bit, it would be even better (for batting) tomorrow. That’s how most of the pitches are in India. Still a long way to go,” said Odedra.