Bhubaneswar: Odisha are on a verge of defeat after losing seven wickets for 180 runs in their second essay but senior pacer Basant Mohanty feels that there is still a chance for them in the final day.
“I think there is still a chance. We still have three wickets in hand and if we can get around 100-150 runs we will have something to fight about,” Basant said after the day’s play.
Basant was the star for Odisha in the day as he pocketed his 18th career five-wicket haul. Speaking on his performance the veteran said, “I am happy with my performance but would have been more happier if had get these wickets yesterday (Tuesday). It would have helped the team.”
“We have two youngsters (Pappu Roy and Rajesh Mohanty) who are playing their second first class match of their career, so as a senior I had to take most of the responsibilities. But they are learning and will surely improve and make an impact in the next match against Assam,” he added.
On the other hand UP pacer Shivam Mavi is upbeat about their chances on wining the match and stated that they would try to bowl them out as early as possible on the final day.
“We are coming of an outright win in our first match Goa and here also we performed well as a unit. We would like to bowl them out for a maximum of 10-12 runs tomorrow (Thursday) and pocket full points,” Mavi said.
When asked about Suresh Raina’s presence in the dressing room, Mavi pointed out, “He brings a positive energy on and off the field. Whenever there is any problem Suresh bhai is always there to help. If an opposition player is going well he tells us how to distract him and get wickets.”