Abishek Porel. | Photo Credit: CAB
Porel drove and pulled well. He got two reprieves and waited anxiously on 99 for 20 minutes to score his second century, which came after more than two years. The 23-year-old, who recently spent 36 days behind bars in an alleged rape case, burst into tears following an emotional celebration.
Bengal started positively before debutant Ankur Paul managed to deflect a sharp Navdeep Saini delivery to the slips. Captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, who received a blow on his helmet off Simarjeet Singh, departed while chasing a ball off Divij Mehra. Sudip Gharami displayed his superb consistency and Abishek Porel his remarkable revival as they scored unbeaten hundreds to earn a vital 64-run first innings lead for Bengal on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Group-C match against Delhi at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground here on Monday. Sudip Chatterjee was caught behind off off-break bowler Ayush Badoni as Bengal took lunch at 108 three. The 27-year-old Gharami, who scored a hundred in the Duleep Trophy, treated the deliveries on merit while getting his 10th century. He drove nicely through covers, point and straight down the ground and swept well as spinners sent down 36 overs on the slow track.