It was on the cards. Mohun Bagan thrashed Bhowanipore Club by 296 runs to win the CAB Super League title in the first ever pink-ball four-dayer of India that concluded at the hollowed Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
It was a low-scoring match on a greentop on offer. There were superb performances from either sides with Bagan clinching the honours through one Mohammed Shami whose international experience proved crucial in the end. Not only a seven-wicket haul, but the control of swing and the use of seam with the pink ball is something that the Indian youngsters should learn from India’s bowling sensation.
Anustup Majumdar’s 83 and veteran all-rounder Sanjib Sanyal’s 60 though helped Mohun Bagan shrug off early jitters in overcast conditions on Saturday. Bhowanipore could lament that they couldn’t make a match of it owing to Shami’s presence in the opposition ranks.
No wonder youngsters like Sourav Mondal and Ayan Bhattacharya are learning fast and already showing flashes of brilliance. The legacy of producing frontline bowlers seem to continue. It’s heartening to see Mondals and Bhattacharyas are following in the footsteps of Laxmi ratan Shukla, Shib Shanker Paul, Ranadeb Bose, Ashok Dinda and others.
But Ghosh’s batting display in the second innings was the next great prize from this match. The Railways batsman became the first centurion in the pink-ball cricket when he smashed spinner Writtick Chatterjee over long on to reach the three-figure mark on Monday. Ghosh also represented the country in the Under-19 category.
There was a fear of a washout when rain halted play on Day One, but there were no other disruption in the next three days which made the game even more enjoyable on a true wicket that behaved consistently all through.
Brief scores: Mohun Bagan 299 (Anustup Majumdar 83; Ravi Kant Singh 4/46) & 349 (Arindam Ghosh 125; Ayan Bhattacharjee 6/96) beat Bhowanipore Club 153 (Uddipan Mukherjee 41; Mohammed Shami 5/42) & 199 (Subham Chatterjee 50; Vivek Singh 5/32) by 296 runs.