Ranji Trophy: Sudip Kumar Gharami misses triple ton by one run as Bengal eye semi-final spot against Andhra

Nadia (West Bengal) [India], February 9 (ANI): Bengal's Sudip Kumar Gharami fell one run short of his triple century after Shaik Rasheed bowled him in the 194th over to deny a well-deserved 300. He faced 596 balls and hit 31 fours and six sixes during his mammoth knock.
Bengal cricket team is on the verge of qualifying for the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 as they finished Day 4 with a lead of 270 runs against Andhra at Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani.
Bengal finished their first innings with 629 runs in response to Andhra's 295.
Sumanta Gupta made 81 off 167 balls, and the wicketkeeper batter Shakir Habib Gandhi missed his century by five runs.
Shaik Rasheed took four wickets as Saurabh Kumar and KV Sasikanth picked up a couple of wickets each.
At the stumps, Andhra were 64/3 in 24 overs. Ricky Bhui (18*) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1*) were unbeaten. Andhra need to set a big target for Bengal and then defend that successfully to enter the final on the last day of the quarter-final on Tuesday.
If they fail to do so, Bengal will qualify on the basis of a lead in the first innings.
In the first quarter-final match held at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, Uttarakhand defeated Jharkhand by an innings and six runs. In the second quarter-final, Jammu and Kashmir registered a 56-run win over Madhya Pradesh, held at Holkar Stadium in Indore.
In the third quarter-final, Karnataka defeated the 42-time champions Mumbai by four wickets at the Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in BKC.
The winner of this match will clash with Jammu and Kashmir in the semi-final. In the other semi-final, Uttarakhand will take on Karnataka. Both semi-finals will start on February 15. The final will be played on February 24. (ANI)