Ranji Trophy semifinal: Chatterjee fifty only bright spot for Bengal in Delhi's day

Pune: Batsman Sudip Chatterjee (83) stood tall while wickets were tumbling at the other end, scoring a brilliant half-century to help Bengal post 269/7 in their first innings against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy semi-finals at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Sunday.

The one-down batsman struck 10 boundaries in his 162-ball innings. 

Lower-order batsmen Shreevats Goswami (19 batting) and Aamir Gani (4 batting) were at the crease when the umpires dislodged the bails to call it a day. 

For Delhi, medium-pacer Navdeep Saini (2/45) and Manan Sharma (2/37) bagged two wickets each. 

After opting to bat first, Bengal lost opener Abhimanyu Easwaran (4) in the third over.

Later, Sudip was involved in crucial partnerships with Abhishek Raman (36), Writtick Chatterjee (47) and skipper Manoj Tiwary (30) to keep the flow of runs steady for Bengal. 

The left-hander forged a 46-run second wicket stand with opener Raman followed by partnerships of 74 and 68 runs with Writtick and Tiwary respectively. 

Sudip was later sent back to the pavilion by a Manan delivery which was played on the back foot and caught by a diving Unmukt Chand in the covers. 

Following the dismissal, middle-order batsman Anustup Majumdar (32) played a vital knock before he was snapped up by Saini in the 81st over. 

Later, Boddupalli Amit (9) was also sent back cheaply leaving Goswami and Gani at the crease at stumps. 

Brief scores: Bengal (First Innings) 269/7 (Sudip Chatterjee 83, Writtick Chatterjee 47; Manan Sharma 2/37) vs Delhi.