Mumbai?s Nishit Shetty, who scored 108, in action on Sunday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit had a smile of satisfaction on his face at the end of second day?s play. When the anticipated declaration came, the visitors had already piled up 552 for seven in the first innings.

?If Bengal can manage to get past us, they should deserve to win the match,? Pandit maintained. And in his words perhaps lie the challenges ahead for Rohan Gavaskar & Co.

What the former India wicketkeeper wished to leave unsaid must have already reached the home team?s dressing room. That, from Day III onwards at the Jadavpur University?s Salt Lake campus ground, Bengal have to battle for survival in their Ranji Trophy Elite group A match. They finished the day at 24 without loss, with Arindam Das (15) and Nikhil Haldipur (3) surviving about an hour at the crease.

On Sunday, Day II unfolded to a script, much to the relief for Bengal coach Karsan Ghavri. A lively spell of Ranadeb Bose resulted in early breakthroughs. Vineet Indulkar managed to add only five runs before perishing to a rising Ranadeb delivery.

Amol Mujumdar departed in similar fashion as the tall medium-pacer found his nick for an easy catch behind the stumps. Then came the fall of Bengal?s Day I nemesis Wasim Jaffer. The overnight centurion survived a strong leg-before appeal during Ranadeb?s opening spell of the day. But this time around, luck didn?t back him again.

On 162, his 434-minute innings finally came to an end. While negotiating Sourashish Lahiri, Jaffer played for the turn, instead the ball straightened up and took the edge for Nikhil Haldipur to claim it in the first slip.

Captain Sairaj Bahutule followed them soon, being adventurous to deal with Murtaza Lodhgar. He played the off-spinner outside the line and found the ball taking an under-edge to go to Deep Dasgupta. If all this signalled a revival of sorts for the home team in the first session, Nishit Shetty had other ideas. If Jaffer dominated the opening day, this left-handed middle-order bat put any chances of Bengal?s recovery to rest.

His 108 off 162 balls was enough to completely take the fight away Bengal.

Ajit Agarkar (45) and Ramesh Powar (52 not out) chipped in with handsome contributions, further adding to the Bengal woes.