Thiruvananthapuram: Bengal’s Ankur Paul who performed brilliantly in last season first division has shown his merit with a half century against Kerala in Elite Group C Ranji Trophy 2026-27 clash at KCA Cricket Ground.
Batting first, Bengal lost skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran (10) early on 24 runs.
Ankur Paul (66) began fighting on one end as Bengal began losing wickets from other. Aamir Gani (14) departed cheaply, Sudip Gharami (36) took matters on his shoulders. Ankur scored 66 (80) with 8 boundaries on a tough track.
Bengal eased off a bit of pressure and were 102-2. But soon lost quick 4 wickets and were restricted to 108-5. Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed (35*) notched a vital 62 runs stand before Gharami lost his wicket just before stumps. Bengal ended Day 1 on 172-6.
Kerala’s Aditya Sarwate picked 3 wickets while N. Basil took 2.
