Orissa began the 1999-2000 Ranji Trophy season on a bright note. They got the better of Bihar on first innings in their opening game, captain Shiv Sunder Das scoring 94 and 44 not out. And Das was to play a stellar role again in Orissa's second engagement, against regional powerhouse Bengal, held at the same venue - the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack - and producing the same result.

Das won the toss and chose to make first use of the wicket. He was one of two batsmen dismissed on the first day but not before making an accomplished 81 off 171 balls, inclusive of seven hits to the fence. After progressing to 370 thanks to a hundred from one-drop Pravanjan Mullick, the hosts saw off Bengal for 275 late on the third day, for a lead of 95.

Orissa proceeded to bat out the fourth and final day, finishing at 336/5. For the second time in the match, Das fell in the eighties, after compiling a 146 run second wicket stand with Mullick. He negotiated the new ball duo of Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Sumit Panda as well as the spin pairing of Utpal Chatterjee and Wrichik Majumder with success but was finally dislodged by part timer Rohan Gavaskar. Das' 82 came off 156 balls, including 11 fours and a six. Under his helmsmanship Orissa went on to finish top of the zonal league with 23 points.