Ranji Trophy: Bengal create incredible world record in first-class cricket after posting 773/7 in QF against Jharkhand

Bengal created an incredible record during the 2022 Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match against Jharkhand on Wednesday. The Abhimanyu Easwaran-led side put a mammoth score of 773/7 in the first innings of the quarterfinal, and as soon as their number 9 batter Akash Deep reached the fifty-run mark, Bengal registered themselves in history books. 

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With Akash Deep’s unbeaten 53 off just 18 balls, Bengal became the first first-class team to have nine batters slamming fifty-plus scores in an innings. While two of them, Sudip Gharami and Anustup Majumdar slammed centuries, the remaining seven scored solid half-centuries to take Bengal to a strong score in the game.

Bengal went past a 129-year record, held by Australians against Cambridge University Past & Present. This is also the first time when all the batters in the top-9 have scored 50+ runs in an innings.

The opening duo of Abhishek Raman (61) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (65) forged a 132-run partnership before Gharami (186) and Majumdar (117) slammed hundreds at no.3 and 4 respectively.

Veteran batter Manoj Tiwary, then, scored 73 off 173 balls before wicketkeeeper-batter Abhishek Porel (68), Shahbaz Ahmed (78), Sayan Mondal (53*), and Akash Deep (53*) all slammed fifties.

Moreover, Akash Deep slammed a half-century at an incredible strike rate of 294.44. Interestingly, this was his first-ever fifty-plus score at first-class level.

Earlier, Jharkhand had won the toss and opted to bowl in the quarterfinal match in Bengaluru.

In other quarterfinal games, Mumbai are taking on Uttarakhand, while Karnataka are meeting Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab face Madhya Pradesh – all in Alur.

While the semi-finals take place between June 14-18, the final of the edition is scheduled between June 22-26 at the Chinnasway Stadium in Bengaluru.