Cuttack: Jammu and Kashmir defeated hosts Odisha by four wickets in their Elite Group C Ranji Trophy encounter at the DRIEMS ground Tuesday. It was Odisha’s first defeat of the season after winning four matches in succession.
Set a victory target of 204, the visitors rode on fighting knocks from Suryansh Raina (69, 151b, 10×4), Subham Pundir (45, 83b, 8×4), Abdul Samad (30 n o, 26b, 2×4, 1×6) and Aquib Naibi (26 n o, 25b, 5×4). In fact it was the crucial 41-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Samad and Naibi that turned the tide in J-K’s favour after they had been reduced to 163 for six after tea.
Much to the despair of the Odisha bowlers, the two J-K batsmen adopted an aggressive approach and went for bold shots. It paid off for as the Odisha bowlers lost control over their length and line.
In the morning Raina and Pundir had set up a dogged partnership of 77 runs for the third wicket that provided the foundation for the J-K batsmen to launch the assault in the latter part of the innings.
Among the Odisha bowlers, Debabrata Pradhan (4/48) stood out while Surykant Pradhan and Rajesh Mohanty bagged a wicket apiece. However, first innings hero Basant Mohanty failed to get a wicket and that was one of the main reasons of Odisha’s downfall.
Earlier Odisha resuming at their overnight score of 136 for seven could only add another 30 runs before being dismissed for 166. Umar Nazir (5/72) picked up all the three Odisha wickets to fall on the day.
Brief scores: Odisha 161 and 166 (Umar Nazir 5/72) lost to Jammu & Kashmir 124 and 205 for 6 (Suryansh Raina 69, Debabrata Pradhan 4/48) by four wickets.
PNN