Anustup Mazumdar (103) and Arindam Das (117 not out) scored chanceless centuries to propel Bengal to 262 for 2 against hosts Vadodara on the first day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match at the Matibaug Palace ground in Vadodara on Thursday.
The opening pair batted all through the first two sessions of the match without showing any nerves after skipper Laxmi Ratan Shukla won the toss and opted to bat first.
They put on 221 runs before Mazumdar was run out for 103, inclusive of 15 fours, by wicketkeeper Pinal Shah in the second over after tea.
Though Bengal skipper Shukla's decision to bat first paid rich dividends for the side, he was disappointed at being dismissed for a duck (his second consecutive duck this season) to the next ball from spinner Yusuf Pathan.
After the two quick wickets, the visitors again settled down thanks to tome fine batting by the other opener, Arindam Das, and all-rounder Manoj Tiwary, who were unbeaten on 117 and 28 respectively as Bengal reached 262 for two in 91 overs at the draw of stumps.
Mazumdar, who was promoted to the opening slot in the absence of injured A P Chakraborty, played stubbornly with Das giving scant regard to the Vadodara pace and spin attack, spearheaded by Sunit Singh.
A worried Vadodara skipper Connor Williams heaved a sigh of relief in the 71st over when wicketkeeper Pinal Shah effected the much-needed breakthrough by running Mazumdar out as the latter tried to snatch a single after pushing Yusuf to the backward short-leg area.
Mazumdar hit 103 off 221 balls, inclusive of 15 boundaries, during his 278-minute stay at the crease.
Das batted all through the 360 minutes of play today to remain unbeaten at 117, inclusive of 18 boundaries from 271 balls, and put the side in a commanding position.
Among the six bowlers the Vadodara skipper used, Yusuf, who played in the Twenty20 World Cup final, proved the most economical, claiming one wicket for 61 runs from his 24 overs.
Scorecard
Bengal (1st Innings):
Anustup Mazumdar run out 103
Arindam Das batting 117
Laxmi Ratan Shukla c A Bilakhia b Y Pathan 0
Manoj Tiwary batting 28.
Extras: (b 5, lb 3, nb 6) 14.
Total: (for 2 wickets in 91 overs) 262
Fall of wkts: 1-221, 2-221.
Bowling: Sunit Singh 18-2-54-0, Abhimanyu Chauhan 12-1-25-0, Ketan Panchal 3-1-18-0, Rajesh Pawar 24-5-78-0, Yusuf Pathan 24-3-61-1, Viswanath Parmar 10-2-18-0.
