Ignored India batter Abhimanyu Easwaran sent a firm message to the selectors and registered his first century in the ongoing edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Bengal captain played a pivotal role in the team posting a mammoth total on the board against Assam and was undoubtedly their top performer in the batting department.
Easwaran opened Bengal's innings alongside the in-form Abishek Porel. The latter had scored a fine hundred and had played a key role in the side's victory against Chandigarh in the third round. However, he wasn't able to play a big knock on this occasion and lost his wicket for 11 runs in the second over. Easwaran went on to form a solid partnership alongside Sudip Gharami as Bengal recovered from the early dismissal.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya slams maiden List A ton, helps Baroda reach formidable total vs Vidarbha in VHT
Both the batters took their time at the crease and steadily increased Bengal's run-rate. They looked to be batting well, but Gharami ended up losing his wicket for 32 runs in the 15th over as they went down to 75/2. Next batter Anustup Majumdar also played sensibly and added important runs to the board alongside Easwaran. The latter reached his half-century, but Majumdar failed to play a big knock and got dismissed for 31 runs.
Easwaran and Shahbaz's crucial partnership
It was the partnership between Easwaran and Shahbaz Ahmed that got Bengal into a good position. The latter didn't waste any time and started hitting the bowlers all around the park from the get-go. Easwaran also gave him great support from the other end and continued to bat well. He eventually brought up his century as Bengal crossed the 200-run mark with many overs left to spare. Though it was a superb knock, Easwaran failed to go much further and was sent back to the pavilion for 102 in the 40th over.
Bengal surpass the 300-run mark
Shahbaz kept on batting brilliantly and eventually reached a well-deserved half-century. While he remained unbeaten on 66, Mohammed Shami went on to play an impactful last-stitch cameo of 25 to ensure that Bengal crossed the 300-run mark in the final over. They finished their innings on 302/7 and it is now upto their bowlers to defend the formidable target against Assam's batting order.