Kalyani: Bangladesh beat Andhra by an innings and 90 runs to complete their top-four squad in the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals at the Bengal Cricket Academy (BCA) Stadium on Tuesday.
The Abhimanyu Iswaran-led side will face Jammu and Kashmir at the same venue starting from Sunday, while Karnataka will take on Uttarakhand in the other semi-final in Lucknow.
With a first-innings lead, Bangladesh had already secured their place in the semi-finals, but they decided not to be outdone and beat Andhra for 244 runs to end the match half an hour before the tea break on day five.
The last time Bangladesh reached the Ranji semi-finals was in the 2022-23 season.
Former India middle-order batsman Nitish Kumar Reddy scored a single-handed 90 as Andhra lost four wickets in the first session and two more after lunch. The injured KS Bharat did not bat.
Resuming play overnight with 64 for 3, Andhra struggled early as they lost 3 wickets in consecutive overs, with Shahbaz Ahmed acting as the main spoiler, taking 4 wickets for 72 runs. “Not everyone is going to have a good day,” Easwaran said. “But when you play as a team, those who perform well will carry the team on their shoulders.”
Brief score: Andhra Pradesh 295 and 244 (Nitish Kumar Reddy 90, Ricky Bhoi 30; Shahbaz Ahmed 4-72, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 2-42) lost to Bengal by 629 runs and 90 runs.
Semifinals: February 15
Bengal vs J&K Kalyani Karnataka vs Uttarakhand Lucknow