Bengal's Sudip Kumar Gharami floors J&K in Ranji Trophy semis
What's the story
Bengal ended Day 1 of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy semi-final at a solid 249/5, thanks to a brilliant century from Sudip Kumar Gharami. He remained unbeaten on 136 runs, leading his team to a strong position against Jammu and Kashmir. The match is being played in Kalyani, West Bengal. The day's play saw some ups and downs for Bengal, but they managed to end on a high note with Gharami's impressive innings.
Stellar performance
Gharami in sensational form
Gharami, who had scored a match-winning 299 against Andhra in the quarter-finals, continued his good form. He came to bat in the second over after Sudip Chatterjee was dismissed without scoring. He added an 85-run stand alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran (49) for the 2nd wicket. Bengal were reduced to 89/2 and 89/3 in a short passage before Gharami and Anustup Majumdar added 66 runs. After Majumdar's dismissal, Gharami was joined by Shahbaz Ahmed and the pair added 94 runs off 179 balls.
Stats
Sixth fifty-plus score in the 2025-26 Ranji season
Gharami played a patient knock of 136 runs off 227 balls, hitting 19 fours and a six. He struck at 59.91. In 9 Ranji Trophy 2025-26 matches (13 innings), he owns 787 runs at 65.58, as per ESPNcricinfo. He hammered his third century (50s: 3). With this knock, he is now the 4th-highest scorer in Ranji this season.
Information
2,500 First-Class runs for Gharami
Playing his 39th match in First-Class cricket (64 innings), Gharami has raced to 2,501 runs at an average of 41-plus. He smashed his 8th century in FC cricket (50s: 10).