Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed produced a stunning seven-wicket haul as Bengal crushed Railways by an innings and 72 runs in their Ranji Trophy Group C match, in Surat on Tuesday.
Resuming on 90 for 5, Railways were bundled out for 132 in 55.5 overs in their second innings, collapsing in the first session as Shahbaz ran riot with figures of 7 for 56 from 22.5 overs.
His relentless accuracy and sharp turn proved to be too much for the Railways middle and lower order.
Only Bhargav Merai (26 off 81 balls) and Upendra Yadav (21 off 63) showed some resistance, and once Shahbaz removed Merai and Yadav in quick succession, the end came swiftly.
Railways, forced to follow on after being bowled out cheaply in the first innings, had ended day three at 90 for 5, trailing by 114 runs. However, their hopes of taking the match into the final session evaporated as Bengal's bowlers maintained a stranglehold from the outset.
Right-arm pacer Rahul Prasad supported Shahbaz well with 2 for 41, while Mohammed Kaif chipped in with a wicket.
Assam salvage draw against Tripura
Skipper Denish Das and senior batter Sibsankar Roy struck defiant centuries to help Assam salvage a draw against Tripura in Agartala.
Resuming on overnight 78 for 3 in their second innings and facing a huge deficit, Assam showed remarkable grit to bat through the day, ending at 367 for 7 when the teams agreed to call off play in the final session.
Captain Denish Das (103 off 197 balls) anchored the innings with a composed century, guiding Assam out of trouble after a shaky start.
He found solid support from wicketkeeper Sumit Ghadigaonkar (54 off 161) as the duo steadied the innings with a 150-run partnership for the fourth wicket.
After Denish's dismissal, Roy took charge, batting fluently for an unbeaten 101 off 141 balls, which was decorated with 17 fours and two sixes.
His counterattacking approach ensured Assam not only avoided an innings defeat but also batted Tripura out of the contest.
Lower down, Ayushman Malakar (21 not out) provided valuable resistance as the visitors stretched their lead past 100 before stumps were drawn.
For Tripura, Ajay Sarkar was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 for 70, while Swapnil Singh (2/88) and Rana Dutta (2/34) also chipped in with wickets but couldn't bowl out Assam as the pitch eased out.
Earlier, Tripura had taken complete control of the match after piling up a strong first-innings total to enforce the follow-on, but Assam's second-innings fightback ensured the honours were eventually shared.
Brief scores:
In Agartala: Tripura: 602/7 declared drew with Assam 238 f/o and 367 for 7 (Denish Das 103, Sibsankar Roy 101 not out, Sumit Ghadigaonkar 54; Ajay Sarkar 3/70, Swapnil Singh 2/88, Rana Dutta 2/34). Points: Tripura 3; Assam 1.
In Surat: Bengal 474 beat Railways 222 & 132 (Bhargav Merai 26, Upendra Yadav 21; Shahbaz Ahmed 7/56, Rahul Prasad 2/41). Points: Bengal 7, Railways 0.
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