Railways’ Upendra Yadav and Bhargav Merai have lived to fight another day.

As Monday’s final two sessions of a fourth-round Ranji Trophy contest wore on, it increasingly seemed like Bengal was going to bag all of the seven points on offer with a day to spare. The said duo, however, had other plans.

In the first session of the ongoing Elite Group C game at the Lalbhai Contractor Stadium, the home team added 91 to its overnight score, thanks to the same pair, who had managed to build a concrete perimeter around themselves while driving bowlers up the wall.

But an hour after lunch, pacer Mohammad Kaif managed to land the first punch and break Upendra’s woodwork.

Two more wickets fell in the next five deliveries. The first of those was that of Karn Sharma, whose round trip to the pitch and back was longer than his stay in the centre. The big fish Merai was snared next with Rahul Prasad have him edge to the glovesman.

A last-gasp resistance from the tailenders didn’t last long as Bengal happily triggered the follow-on clause.

Zubair’s pair

Zubair A. Khan didn’t bother the scorers in this essay as well. Pratham Singh and Vivek Singh tried stitching a partnership together, but Kaif tore a hole in the very fabric of their fragile alliance.

With Sumit Mohanta pouching a screamer at mid-on to remove Mohammad Saif, Merai was back fighting a losing battle under the hot Surat sun. Merely 26 overs of play had elapsed since his dismissal in the previous innings. However, it was Vivek who blinked first as Anustup Majumdar took a sharp catch in the slip.

Shahbaz Ahmed stuck to a tight channel to account for Suraj Ahuja. The wicket meant Merai had a familiar face for company again with Railways trailing by 162 runs ahead of the final day’s play.

The scores:

Bengal — 1st innings: 474.

Railways — 1st innings: Zubair A. Khan c Gharami b Jaiswal 0, Vivek Singh b Jaiswal 4, Pratham Singh c Shakir b Jaiswal 11, Mohammad Saif lbw b Jaiswal 0, Bhargav Merai c Shakir b Rahul 91, Suraj Ahuja lbw Shahbaz 19, Upendra Yadav b Kaif 70, Karn Sharma c Shakir b Kaif 0, Akash Pandey c Purohit b Rahul 1, Adarsh Singh b Bhati 13, Kunal Yadav (not out) 3; Extras (w-2, b-4, lb-4): 10; Total (in 86.3 overs): 222.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-7, 3-11, 4-16, 5-55, 6-203, 7-203, 8-203, 9-208.

Bengal bowling: Jaiswal 17-4-35-4, Mohanta 8-3-25-0, Kaif 18-5-48-2, Shahbaz 20-4-42-1, Bhati 9.3-0-30-1, Rahul 14-1-34-2.

Railways — 2nd innings: Zubair A. Khan b Shahbaz 0, Vivek Singh c Anustup b Rahul 29, Pratham Singh c Shakir b Kaif 9, Mohammad Saif c Mohanta b Rahul 3, Bhargav Merai (batting) 20, Suraj Ahuja lbw b Shahbaz 12, Upendra Yadav (batting) 12; Extras (nb-1, b-2, lb-2): 5; Total (for five wkts. in 39 overs): 90.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-35, 3-42, 4-43, 5-66.

Bengal bowling: Jaiswal 4-3-8-0, Shahbaz 14-3-26-2, Rahul 11-1-34-2, Kaif 6-2-10-1, Bhati 4-2-8-0.

Published – November 10, 2025 08:25 pm IST

New Delhi :

Former and current Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Irfan Pathan, and Cheteshwar Pujara shared a heartfelt message for former wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha as he announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. Saha played his last match against Punjab with Bengal in the Ranji Trophy Elite 2024-25 Group C encounter. The wicketkeeper-batter failed to shine in the final game of his illustrious career. He was dismissed for a seven-ball duck by Gurnoor Brar of Punjab. However, Saha’s performance did not affect Bengal much as they clinched a victory by an innings and 13 runs over Punjab.

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan took to his official social media handle and gave him best wishes for his new phase of life.

“From sharing dressing rooms to seeing you pull off those insane stumpings, what a journey you’ve had bro! Wishing you all the success and happiness in this new phase of life. You’ll always be a champion,” Dhawan wrote in a post on X.

From sharing dressing rooms to seeing you pull off those insane stumpings, what a journey you’ve had bro! Wishing you all the success and happiness in this new phase of life. You’ll always be a champion @Wriddhipops ???? pic.twitter.com/lFjEKljAsB

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) February 1, 2025

The former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan congratulated Wriddhiman Saha for his cricketing career and called him “udtaaaaaa Saha”.

“Congratulations @Wriddhipops on your career. Your wicket-keeping skills were the best we had in test cricket. Will miss calling it “udtaaaaaa Saha”. I’m sure you will keep flying high in your second innings buddy. Good luck,” Irfan Pathan wrote on X.

Congratulations @Wriddhipops on your career. Your wicket keeping skills were the best we had in test cricket. Will miss calling it “udtaaaaaa Saha”. I’m sure you will keep flying high in your second innings buddy. Good luck. pic.twitter.com/OT42TBZ3pr

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) February 1, 2025

Saurashtra and India right-hand batter Cheteshwar Pujara said that Wriddhiman Saha’s contribution for Indian cricket is invaluable.

“Congratulations on an incredible career @Wriddhipops! …Your contribution to Indian cricket has been invaluable. It has been a pleasure spending time with you on and off the field! Best wishes for the journey ahead,” Pujara wrote in a post on X.

Congratulations on an incredible career @Wriddhipops! ????…Your contribution to Indian cricket has been invaluable. It has been a pleasure spending time with you on and off the field!

Best wishes for the journey ahead ???? pic.twitter.com/znRCk7ZdJG

— Cheteshwar Pujara (@cheteshwar1) February 1, 2025

Rishabh Pant shared a photo along with Wriddhiman Saha on his social media handle and said that he has always admired his skills and craft.

“As a fellow keeper, I have always admired your skills and your craft. Wishing you all the success and happiness in your next chapter @Wriddhipops bhaiya,” Pant wrote on X.

As a fellow keeper, I have always admired your skills and your craft. Wishing you all the success and happiness in your next chapter @Wriddhipops bhaiya. #RP17 pic.twitter.com/xNf2yrjZLn

— Rishabh Pant (@RishabhPant17) February 1, 2025

Earlier on Friday, Saha also received a guard of honour from his teammates as he went down on the crease to bat for the last time.

Taking to X, Saha recalled the first time he stepped onto a cricket field in 1997. He added that it was an honour for him to represent his country, state, district, clubs, university, college, and school.

“It has been 28 years since I first stepped onto a cricket field in 1997, and what a journey it has been! Representing my country, state, district, clubs, university, college, and school has been the greatest honor of my life. Everything I am today, every achievement, every lesson learned- l owe it all to this wonderful game… Now it is time to begin a new chapter, dedicating myself to my family and friends, cherishing the moments I may have missed, and embracing life beyond the field. I am eternally grateful to my parents, my beloved elder brother Anirban, and my extended family. Their sacrifices and unwavering belief in my dreams made this journey possible…,” Saha wrote on X.

The 40-year-old extended his heartfelt gratitude to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their support throughout his career.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the BCCI, its presidents, secretaries, and all office bearers for their support throughout my career. A sincere thank you to all my coaches, mentors, physios, trainers, analysts, teammates, logistics teams, masseurs, and every support staff member of the Indian Cricket Team, Bengal Cricket Team, Tripura Cricket Team, and all the clubs, districts, universities, and school teams I had the privilege of representing. Your faith in me and your constant encouragement have meant the world. I am deeply thankful to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and the Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) for their trust and support throughout my career…,” he added.

He also gave special mention to his childhood coach, Jayanta Bhowmick for his guidance both on and off the field.

“A special mention to my childhood coach, Jayanta Bhowmick, who saw something in me long before I saw it in myself. Your guidance, both on and off the field, has been a blessing in my life. To my friends, ground staff, net bowlers, dressing room attendants, fans, scorers, well-wishers, critics, and journalists each of you played a role in my journey. Your support, encouragement, and even your criticism pushed me to be better, to work harder, and to never stop learning… This game has given me more than I could have ever imagined. It has been my passion, my teacher, my identity. As I walk away from the field, I do so with immense gratitude, carrying memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you, cricket. Thank you all,” he concluded.

Thank You, Cricket. Thank You everyone. ???? pic.twitter.com/eSKyGQht4R

— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 1, 2025

Saha made his first-class debut in 2007, following that he has played 142 matches and 210 innings, scoring 7169 runs at a strike rate of 48.65 and an average of 41.43. He slammed 14 centuries and 44 fifties in the first-class cricket.

Earlier in November 2024, Wriddhiman Saha announced his retirement from international cricket. Saha last played for India in 2021 and has scored 1,353 runs in 40 Tests for India, with three centuries and six fifties in 56 innings. He has also played five ODIs for India.

Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit the riverine island of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district today– a first since the sexual harassment controversy broke out ahead of the Lok Sabha election. But the Leader of Opposition, BJP’s  Suvendu Adhikari will not be far behind. Mr Adhikari has announced that he would hold a ‘Jana Sanjog Yatra’ in the area the day after the Chief Minister’s visit. 

The Chief Minister will be heading for Sandeshkhali early today to chair a public distribution programme. 

The obscure island in West Bengal had hit the headlines earlier this year, before the Lok Sabha elections.

Its trigger was the protest by the locals against alleged incidents of sexual assault and land grabbing. They blamed the local Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan — who has since been suspended by the party — and his two aides, Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar. 

The Trinamool later held a press conference on a series sting operations in which a video surfaced on social media. It showed a former BJP leader purportedly claiming that the whole episode was “scripted by the BJP”. 

The Trinamool said the allegations of sexual harassment were politically motivated, meant to defame the party. 

The BJP claimed the allegations were an example of the Trinamool misrule and exploitation of women. 

In the Lok Sabha election, the Trinamool Congress won the Basirhat seat, within which the Sandeshkhali assembly seat is located. 

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on February 29  after he managed to evade the police for around two months. He went on the run after his supporters attacked three Enforcement Directorate officials who visited Sandeshkhali on January 5. The attack had let the officials injured. 

Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit the riverine island of Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district today– a first since the sexual harassment controversy broke out ahead of the Lok Sabha election. But the Leader of Opposition, BJP’s  Suvendu Adhikari will not be far behind. Mr Adhikari has announced that he would hold a ‘Jana Sanjog Yatra’ in the area the day after the Chief Minister’s visit. 

The Chief Minister will be heading for Sandeshkhali early today to chair a public distribution programme. 

The obscure island in West Bengal had hit the headlines earlier this year, before the Lok Sabha elections.

Its trigger was the protest by the locals against alleged incidents of sexual assault and land grabbing. They blamed the local Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan — who has since been suspended by the party — and his two aides, Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar. 

The Trinamool later held a press conference on a series sting operations in which a video surfaced on social media. It showed a former BJP leader purportedly claiming that the whole episode was “scripted by the BJP”. 

The Trinamool said the allegations of sexual harassment were politically motivated, meant to defame the party. 

The BJP claimed the allegations were an example of the Trinamool misrule and exploitation of women. 

In the Lok Sabha election, the Trinamool Congress won the Basirhat seat, within which the Sandeshkhali assembly seat is located. 

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on February 29  after he managed to evade the police for around two months. He went on the run after his supporters attacked three Enforcement Directorate officials who visited Sandeshkhali on January 5. The attack had let the officials injured. 

Mohammed Shami earned plaudits from Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla.© BCCI

Ravi Shastri feels India would be better off with having a fit Mohammed Shami in Australia.© BCCI

The Indian cricket team has received another major blow. After the clean sweep 3-0 loss against New Zealand at home, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team’s next assignment is an away Tour in Australia. The squad for the series has already been announced. Mohammed Shami did not find a place in squad as he is yet to recover from an injury. It was hoped that Shami would play Ranji Trophy matches to get fit for selection for the Australia Tour at a later stage. 

However, that is not going to happen soon. According to a report in news agency PTI, Mohammed Shami’s return to competitive cricket has been further pushed back after the veteran pacer was not named in the Bengal squad for the next two rounds of the Ranji Trophy against Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Bengal will take on Karnataka at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from Wednesday, before travelling to Indore to take on Madhya Pradesh from November 13.

Shami was expected to play the fixture against Karnataka to test his fitness in a real-match situation as he bowled at full tilt at nets after India’s recent Test match against New Zealand, though with bandage on his operated leg.

On that occasion, he was also monitored by India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel.

Later Shami said during a promotional event that he was feeling “100%” at nets.

“I had been bowling with half a run-up on and off since I can’t put too much stress on my body. So, we decided that I would bowl properly, and I gave my 100%.

“It felt great, and the results are good. Hopefully, I’ll be back on track soon,” he had said.

India skipper Rohit Sharma had also opined against taking an undercooked Shami to Australia.

“We don’t want to bring undercooked Shami to Australia. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” Rohit had said in Bengaluru recently.

Other than Shami, Bengal will also miss the services of prolific opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, wicketkeeper batter Abhishek Porel and pacer Mukesh Kumar, who are with India A squad in Australia.

Pacer Akash Deep, who was part of the Indian team for the recent series against New Zealand, was also not named in the state squad.

However, veteran wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha, who has announced his retirement from cricket after the ongoing domestic season, has been named for the two matches.

Bengal squad against Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh: Anustup Majumdar (capt), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Writtick Chatterjee, Avilin Ghosh, Shuvam Dey, Shakir Habib Gandhi, Pradipta Pramanik, Aamir Gani, Ishan Porel, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Kaif, Rohit Kumar, Rishav Vivek. 

With PTI inputs 

Kolkata:

A woman journalist has alleged that she has been sexually harassed by a CPM leader when  she had gone to interview him. It occurred when she had gone to the house of Tanmoy Bhattacharya for an interview, she said.

Narrating the event on a Facebook live session, she said the CPM leader had sat on her lap on the pretext of sitting down for the interview. 

“I had faced harassment at Bhattacharya’s house earlier also… He has a tendency to touch people. He would touch my hand,” she said but added that she had not complained about it fearing repercussions. 

“But what happened this time was too much,” she said. 

Tanmoy Bhattacharya, she added, had taken advantage when her cameraperson was trying to set up a frame for the interview and was asking him to sit at a certain spot.

“He said where will I sit and came and sat down on my lap,” she said, visibly shaking while recounting the experience.

“I am not sure whether the CPM will take action… But I have understood that this has nothing to with political colour. There are some people who are like this. It is their problem at a personal level,” she said.

A complaint has been filed at the Baranagar police station about the incident, which coms on the heels of the horrific rape-murder of a young doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College that had stirred up the state and spread ripples across the country. 

It led to largescale protests, ceasework and even an indefinite hunger strike  by junior doctors that was fully backed by the civil society and the opposition parties. 

The CPM has said that Tanmoy Bhattacharya will be suspended and the party will conduct an internal inquiry.

New Delhi:
Cyclone Dana will make landfall near Odisha’s Bhitarkanika and Dhamra tonight, with a likely wind speed of 100-120 km per hour. Both Odisha and West Bengal are on high alert, with vulnerable population evacuated, flight and rail services suspended.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

Prolific Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran scored his fourth first class hundred in as many games before Priyam Garg’s fighting century for Uttar Pradesh resulted in a drawn game in the Ranji Trophy on Monday. Bengal took three points for gaining the first innings lead while Uttar Pradesh walked away with a point on the final day of the Group A fixture. Resuming their second innings at an overnight 141 for no loss, Bengal declared at 254 for three in the morning session with Easwaran remaining unbeaten on 127 off 172 balls.

Uttar Pradesh were set an improbable target of 274 and they could only reach 162 for six in 151 overs before bad light brought an end to the game. Having made 311 in their first innings, Bengal had managed to take a slender 19-run first innings lead by bowling out Uttar Pradesh for 292.

Easwaran, who resumed at an overnight 78, completed his 27th first-class ton in the morning. The right-hander is a strong contender for the reserve opener’s role in the India squad for the upcoming tour of Australia.

Bengal pace duo of Mukesh Kumar and Mohammad Kaif increased the nerves in the UP dressing room by removing the openers, Aryan Juyal (5) and Swastik Chikara (12), respectively .

Number three batter fought a lone battle for his team with an unbeaten 105 off 156 balls. He brought his hundred with a six over long on. Overall, he collected eights fours and five sixes.

Bengal eventually ran out of time to dismiss UP but Garg played a major role in denying them a victory.

Vidarbha beat Andhra by 74 runs in Group B Ranji Trophy match

Medium pacer Aditya Thakare and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey shared eight wickets between them to hand Vidarbha a 74-run victory over Andhra in a Ranji Trophy Group B match on Monday. While Vidarbha were bundled out for 118 in their first innings, Andhra scored 167 in response. In the second innings, Vidarbha rode on Punjab Kings opener Atharva Taide’s century, complemented by Aman Mokhade (53) and Danish Melewar (61) to score a healthy 366, thereby setting a target of 318 for Andhra.

But Thakare (4/47) and Dubey (4/69) and ably assisted by veteran off-spinner Akshay Wakhare (2/71) as they bowled out Andhra for 243 all out in 86.4 overs to ensure the win.

In Jaipur, hosts Rajasthan came tantalisingly close to registering an outright win over Puducherry, falling short by just 19 runs to settle for a draw but grabbed three points by virtue of taking the first innings lead in another Ranji Trophy Group B match.

Chasing 239 on the fourth and final day, Rajasthan could muster 220 for 7 in 60 overs.

Opener Abhijeet Tomar top-scored for Rajasthan with 87 off 149 balls, while wicketkeeper Kunal Singh Rathore made 59 off 126 deliveries.

Fabid Ahmed (2/46) and Sagar Udeshi (2/56) picked up two wickets each for Puducherry.

Earlier resuming their second essay at 207 for 6 on Monday, Puducherry added 74 runs for the loss of four wickets to set the total.

Akash Kargave (54) and Anand Bais (45) made significant scores for Puducherry.

Mahipal Lomror (3/15), Rahul Chahar (2/44), Khaleel Ahmed (2/64) and Manav Sutar (2/71) were the main wicket takers for Rajasthan in Puducherry’s second innings.

In Secundrebad, Gujarat defeated Hyderabad by 126 runs to register their first win.

Elsewhere, Himachal hammered Uttarakhand by an innings and 97 runs in Dharamsala.

Brief scores:

In Lucknow: Bengal 311 and 254/3 decl in 60.5 overs; (Abhimanyu Easwaran 127 not out, Sudip Chatterjee 93). Uttar Pradesh 292 and 162 in 51 overs (Priyam Garg 105 not out; Mukesh 2/58, Mohammed Kaif 2/4). Match drawn.

In Nagpur: In Nagpur: Vidarbha: 118 and 366 beat Andhra: 167 and 243 in 86.4 overs by 74 runs.

In Jaipur: Puducherry: 248 and 281 drew with Rajasthan: 291 and 220 for 7 in 60 overs.

In Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh: 663/3 dec in 164 overs beat Uttarakhand: 299 and 267 by an innings 97 runs.

In Secunderabad: Gujarat: 343 and 201 beat Hyderabad: 248 and 170 by 126 runs. 

In Indore: Madhya Pradesh 425/8 decl. Karnataka 206/5 in 75 overs (Nikin Jose 99, Shreyas Gopal 60 not out; Kumar Kartikeya 3/68). Match drawn.

In Thumba: Punjab 194 and 142 all out (Prabhsimran Singh 51 Kerala 179; 70.4 overs (Sarwate 4/43, Aparajith 4/35). Kerala 179 and 158/2 in 36 overs (Sachin Baby 56; Rohan Kunnumal 48). Kerala win by eight wickets.