Credit: X
Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar went on to destroy Bengal’s batting order in his Ranji Trophy return. The veteran Indian pacer marked a stunning return to first-class cricket and recorded a five-wicket haul against Bengal on January 12. Uttar Pradesh locked horns with Bengal on Friday at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, where Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
The Nitish Rana-led team was bundled out at just 60 runs with Samarth Singh (13), Aryan Juyal (11), and the captain (11) being the only ones getting into double figures. For Bengal’s side, pacer Mohammad Kaif picked a total of four wickets while Suraj Jaiswal took three and Ishan Porel took two. In the second inning, the 33-year-old delivered an epic bowling spell and claimed a fifer.
Kumar conceded only 25 runs in 13 overs to help his side get some stability in the game. Bengal batted well and finished Day 1 with 95 runs at the loss of five wickets. Notably, Kumar hasn’t been part of the national Test squad since 2018 and played his last Test game against South Africa.
In the game against Bengal, Kumar dismissed rival opener Sourav Paul and Sudip Kumar Gharami within just three balls before getting Anustup Majumdar, captain Manoj Tiwary, and Ishan Porel as part of the same spell. Talking about India’s Test assignments, the WTC 2023 finalists will host England for a five-match Test series. India beat West Indies 1-0 and held South Africa to a 1-1 draw in the ongoing WTC cycle.
