Two career-best centuries by Rakesh Solanki (186) and Yusuf Pathan (183) helped hosts Vadodara take a 145-run first innings lead against Bengal as they piled a mammoth 515 runs on the penultimate day of their four-day Ranji Trophy Elite Group 'B' match at the Motibaug Palace ground in Vadodara on Saturday.
At close, Bengal who came in to bat the remaining two overs of the day's quota, were one down for one run after they lost the prize wicket of Anustup Mazumdar. He was adjudged lbw for a duck off Yusuf Pathan in the last over.
Resuming at 129 for 2 in reply to Bengal's first innings total of 370, Vadodara turned tables in their favour with a record 276-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Solanki and all-rounder Pathan. The duo scored 276 runs from 290 balls.
Their 223-minute partnership was broken by Bengal off-spinner Saurasish Lahiri soon after tea, who claimed Pathan's wicket through mid-wicket fielder Anustup Mazumdar.
Pathan, who hit his first century in first class cricket, made a blazing 183 from just 150 balls inclusive of 24 boundaries and four sixes, while southpaw Solanki struck 22 fours and a six in his 186.
Coming in to bat with his overnight score on 43, Solanki held up one end for almost the entire day as he was the last Vadodara batsman to go, being run out by Arindam Das, a couple of overs before the close of play. This was Solanki's second century in first class cricket.
Lahiri, who bowled the maximum 56 overs, chipped in with four wickets, conceding 184 runs, while leggie Murtaza Lodhgar and skipper Laxmi Ratan shukla claimed two wickets each giving away 66 and 29 runs respectively.
Scorecard:
Bengal (first innings) : 370
Vadodara (first innings) : overnight 129 for 2
Satyajit Parab c R Chowdhary b S Lahiri 37
Connor Williams c M Tiwary b M Lodhgar 15
Azhar Bilakhia lbw b M Lodhgar 7
Rakesh Solanki run out 186
Pinal Shah c A Das b S Lahiri 23
Abhimanyu Chauhan c R Chowdhary b S Lahiri 23
Yusuf Pathan c A Majumdar b S Lahiri 183
Ketan Panchal b L Shukla 1
Rajesh Pawar run out 9
Vishwanath Parmar lbw b L Shukla 9
Sunit singh not out 0
Extras: (b 4, lb 4,2 1, nb 13) 22
Total : (all out 137.5 overs) 515
Fall of wickets: 1/34, 2/59, 3/67, 4/135, 5/180, 6/456, 7/471, 8/485, 9/508, 10/515.
Bowling : Ranadeb Bose 21-02-08-0, Shib Sankar Paul 16-05-37-0, Saurasish Lahiri 56-22-184-4, Murtaza Lodhgar 16-04-66-2, Manoj Tiwary 9-01-46-0, Kamal Mondal 9-00-61-0, Laxmi Ratan Shukla 10.5-00-29-2
Bengal (second innings):
Anustup Majumdar lbw b Y Pathan 0
Arindam Das batting 1
Total : (for 1 wicket) 1
Fall of wickets: 1/1
Bowling: Rajesh Pawar 1-1-0-0, Yusuf Pathan 0.3-0-1-1.
