Aryan Juyal’s Unconquered 90 Leads Uttar Pradesh Fightback
Young Uttar Pradesh skipper Aryan Juyal led a spirited fightback with an unbeaten 90, guiding his team to 198 for three in response to Bengal’s 311 on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy Group C clash.
The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who has represented India Under-19 and was part of the Mumbai Indians setup, showcased his technical proficiency throughout the innings. He faced 195 deliveries and struck eight boundaries, anchoring the Uttar Pradesh innings as they trailed by 113 runs.
Juyal formed a solid 83-run opening partnership with Swastik Chikara (41), giving Uttar Pradesh a strong start. Known for his preference to play on the offside, Juyal was circumspect yet controlled, playing with maturity on both sides of the wicket. He displayed excellent footwork to counter Bengal’s spin duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and off-spinner Writtick Chatterjee.
Bengal struck back, with left-arm spinner Shahbaz breaking the stand by trapping Chikara lbw. Mohammed Kaif, the younger brother of India pacer Mohammed Shami, then had Priyam Garg (2) trapped lbw, reducing UP to 86/2 as they lost two wickets for just three runs.
However, Juyal found able support from Kolkata Knight Riders vice-captain Nitish Rana, who played an attacking knock of 32 off 59 balls, studded with three boundaries. The pair added 69 crucial runs for the third wicket before Shahbaz returned to dismiss Rana lbw early in his second spell.
Siddarth Yadav (20 batting) then stood firm alongside his skipper, as the duo saw out the remainder of the day’s play before bad light stopped play after 64 overs.
Shahbaz was the most threatening bowler, shouldering the bulk of the bowling workload. He returned figures of 2/47 from 21 overs, maintaining pressure on the Uttar Pradesh batters. Kaif also impressed, claiming 1/23 from his 12 overs. Writtick, despite bowling 12 overs, remained wicketless and conceded 54 runs.
Earlier in the day, Bengal resumed their innings at 269/7, with Shahbaz contributing a vital 44 from 80 balls to help Bengal cross the 300-run mark. Rising left-arm pacer Yash Dayal, who was part of the Test squad against Bangladesh, returned to action after a niggle, was exceptional with the ball, finishing with figures of 4/27. Debutant off-spinner Vipraj Nigam also impressed, claiming 4/81 as Bengal innings lasted 14.2 overs on day two to be bowled out in 96.2 overs.