Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | KL Rahul's wicket motivated me, feels Ishan Porel

Ranji Trophy 2019-20 | KL Rahul's wicket motivated me, feels Ishan Porel

no photo

|

Getty

Dismissing KL Rahul motivated me to perform even better in the second semi-final against Karnataka at Eden Gardens, felt Ishan Porel. His menacing spell came when Bengal needed him the most, he swung the ball but it was his accuracy which challenged the opposition batters every single time.

Bengal became the first finalist of this seasonā€™s Ranji Trophy after defeating Karnataka in the second semi-final at Eden Gardens. Anushtup Majumder scored a magnificent 149 in the first innings as he guided Bengal to a commendable total of 312 after six wickets had fallen for 67 runs. But the match breaker was Ishan Porelā€™s five-for in the first innings which helped Bengal take a crucial lead of 190 runs.Ā Porel had figures of five for 39 was he destroyed the star-studded batting line up of Karnataka in the first innings.

The seamer's menacing spell came when Bengal needed him the most, he swung the ball around but it was his accuracy which got the better off the opposition batters every single time. He also got the big wicket of Karnataka skipper Karun Nair in the first innings and KL Rahul in the second innings to make a strong case for himself in the national team.

"He is a great guy, Rahul. He congratulated me for my spell and said see you in the IPL. Hopefully, we'll have a great season. It does motivate me to do better when I'm facing the likes of Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey. They're all India internationals and have played at the highest level. That's where I want to be and the only way to do that is by showing my mettle in front of great batsmen," said Porel as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The Bengal fans chanted names of their favourite cricketers, came up with slogans, and even brought the trumpets along. The intensity of the excitement among the Eden crowd at the stadium outgrew the enormousness of its size. The Eden crowd loved Porel who was the chief architect of the victory. The 21-year-old speedster was overwhelmed with the response.

"It feels surreal. I'm still getting used to it. So many of them have made it to the ground to watch the match. It's great to have school kids cheering for the game, and I'm glad we could treat them to a win!" "I didn't expect them to be this loud and supportive. Last night, on my social media, I asked people to show up in big numbers and they did just that. It's been an amazing three-four days for me and the team," he added.

Bengal will be eyeing their third-ever Ranji Trophy title in the final, to be played from March 9. They will face the winner of the second semifinal between Gujarat and Saurashtra.

Get updates! Follow us on

Open all