"Happy to contribute with bat and ball:" Sayan Shekhar Mondal after Bengal qualifies for the semis in Ranji Trophy 2021-22

Bengal defeated Jharkhand by first inning lead in the Ranji Trophy 2021-22 quarter-finals to qualify for the back to back semi-finals. Their first inning lead of 475 runs was enough for them to qualify for the semi-finals. Meanwhile, they created a first-class cricket record where 9 batters of the team scored more than fifty runs in the same inning. Sayan Shekhar Mondal was part of the record with an excellent 53 and then came up with 4/71 with the ball as well. He shared his thoughts in an exclusive interview with Sportz Point after the win.

The all-rounder started the conversation saying, "really happy the way we played as a team. Looking forward to the semis." Sayan was crucial with the ball when Jharkhand had a quick start to their innings. "If you followed the match well you can see there were lots of chances created and drop catches as well. So we were bowling well. It is just that I got the breakthrough, which is obviously nice," Sayan added.

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Although more than 1000 runs were scored on that Just Cricket Academy pitch, Sayan feels there were something for the bowlers throughout the match. "Our batters made it look that flat. There was something for the pacers, a little bit, but there was something if you hit the pitch hard. Even the spinners started getting assistant after the 3rd day," the all-rounder told.

Sayan Shekhar Mondal is one of the all-rounders of the team along with Shahbaz Ahmed. According to him his job with the ball is to hold one end when pacers like Akashdeep, Ishan Porel and Mukesh Kumar bowling in shorter spells. "Yes, getting the wickets is nice. You can't plan the wickets. But, I am happy that I did the job what was asked from me. Wickets are always a bonus. I am delighted that I got those breakthroughs."

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With Shahbaz Ahmed, Sayan himself and Akashdeep at the end, Bengal packs a punch in the lower order, which makes them one of the strongest in the tournament. Sayan believes that having the longer batting line up is important when the results can be decided by the first inning lead. "If you see every team has now a longer tail. So, it's vital if we can contribute with the bat when the first inning lead is so vital," Sayan Shekhar Mondal added.

Bengal will play Madhya Pradesh in the semis from 14th June at Alur Ground in Bangalore. With the different pitch and ground Bengal will face a new challenge in Kuldeep Sen, who had a fantastic IPL with the Rajasthan Royals. "We are focusing on ourselves. Obviously we will plan everything out when we hit the practice session. Tomorrow is a rest day. So we will plan after that," Sayan expressed.

At the end, Sayan expressed his joy of playing with Bengal legends like Manoj Tiwary and Anustup Majumdar who are still scoring runs at their age. "I feel blessed to play with both of them. They are absolute legends and inspiration for all us," he said.

QUALIFIED! ??

Match drawn between Bengal and Jharkhand.

Bengal qualify for semis on first innings lead. ??

#BENvJHA #RanjiTrophy #QF1 #ManojTiwary #BengalRanjiTeam pic.twitter.com/rGfecFhLHi

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) June 10, 2022