Bhubaneswar: Former skipper Govind Poddar (4/27) helped his team register their first win Wednesday in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as Odisha defeated Himachal Pradesh by a mere three runs in Vadodara,.
Govind Poddar may not have had an impressive day with the bat, but he proved to be crucial with the ball as the off-spinner got some crucial breakthroughs, including Himachal’s top scorer Prashant Chopra (48, 37b, 3×4, 4×6).
Earlier, the match was reduced to 21-overs-a-side after the start got delayed due to wet outfield. It was Himachal Pradesh who won the toss and invited Odisha to bat in challenging conditions.
The decision proved quite right for Himachal as they reduced Odisha to 37/2 inside six overs, with both openers – Sandeep Patnaik and Govind Poddar back in the pavilion.
However, skipper Subhranshu Senapati (39, 34b, 6×4, 1×6) and Abhishek Yadav (34, 34b, 2×4, 2×6) held their nerves and put together 36 runs for the third wicket. Once the partnership was broken with the departure of Subhranshu Senapati, Odisha kept on losing wickets at regular intervals to be reduced to 99/6 in 16.3 overs.
Prayas Singh (31 n o, 20b, 2×4, 2×6) and Deepak Behera (17) added late-order crucial 35 runs and allowed their team to get to a defendable total. Odisha managed 145/8 in their 21 overs. Ankit Maini (3/15) was the standout among Himachal bowlers.
Chasing 146, Himachal were off to a fine start despite losing their skipper Ankush Bains early. Chopra and Ankit Kalsi (22) forged together 51 runs for the second wicket before Himachal too witnessed a collapse.
Govind broke the stand when he dismissed Chopra and then ran through the middle-order. Himachal tried their best but eventually fell short and ended up on 142/9 after 21 overs.
Govind was ably supported by left-arm spinner Pappu Roy (2/27) and pacer Suryakant Pradhan (2/24).
Brief scores: Odisha 145/8 (Subhranshu Senapati 39, Abhishek Yadav 34, Prayas Singh 31 n o; Ankit Maini 3/15) beat Himachal Pradesh 142/9 (Prashant Chopra 48; Govind Poddar 4/27) by three runs.
PNN