Only if Mohammed Shami‘s magical performances were not enough, his brother Mohammed Kaif is setting the cricketing world on fire. Having bowled a magical spell of 4 for 14, Kaif stepped up with the bat at number 9 with an unbeaten 45 to help Bengal take the first-innings lead of 128 runs against his home side Uttar Pradesh on day two of their Ranji Trophy Group B match in Kanpur on Saturday. It is worth noting that this is the first time Kaif is playing First-Class.
Earlier this month, Shami had congratulated his brother for making it to Ranji Trophy from the Bengal side.
“Finally after a long struggle, you got Ranji trophy cap for Bengal. Cheers!! Great Achievement !! Congratulations, I wish you a great future ahead! Give your 100% and Keep continuing hard work & do well,” Shami had written on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Talking about the Bengal vs Uttar Pradesh Ranji Trophy game, Kaif’s team folded up for 188 after resuming at 95 for 5 under challenging conditions at the Green Park, with veteran India seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar returning excellent figures of 8 for 41.
Uttar Pradesh, who were dismissed for 60 in the first innings, responded with resilience in the second essay to be 46 for no loss at close on day two.
Samarth Singh and Aryan Juyal remained unbeaten at 21 and 20, respectively as UP trailed by 82 runs.
Day 3 promises an intriguing contest as the home side will look to overcome the deficit and assert dominance, while Bengal bowlers will be desperate to seize the early initiative.
Earlier on Saturday morning, Bengal lost three wickets for 15 runs. But Kaif showed the way, emerging as the top-scorer with 45 not out off 79 balls.
Tailenders Kaif and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (20) added the much-needed 52 runs for the ninth wicket to take Bengal to a fighting score.
Kaif smashed four boundaries and two sixes.
After the dismissal of Suraj, Kaif partnered with Ishan Porel (10) and added another vital 26 runs for the last wicket to take the hosts to a respectable total.
(With PTI Inputs)
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