Team Orisports 12-Nov-2011 145
Miserable batting performance in the second innings resulted in Odisha suffering an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of host Punjab in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match at Mohali today. The home team`s pace attack, comprising Manpreet Singh Gony, Barinder Singh and Sandeep Sharma, played instrumental role in the victory as it destroyed Odisha`s second innings for a paltry total of 73 runs.
Needing 70 runs for victory, Punjab lost two wickets for 11 runs before a 59-run unbroken third-wicket partnership between Ravi Inder Singh and Mandeep Singh helped them overhaul the target with more than a day to spare. Gony was most successful Punjab bowlers, scalping five wickets for 13 runs, while debutant Barinder Singh bagged four wickets for 27.
The defeat came as a shock for Odisha because they played fighting cricket for the first two days only to surrender meekly on the third day. Put into bat, Odisha overcame a top-order batting failure and an unwanted off-field incident to make competitive total of 251. After being reduced to 5 for 56, Odisha was able to fight back thanks to precious half-centuries by wicket-keeper Subhrajit Sahoo, No 9 batsman Basant Mohanty and a defiant 48 by all-rounder Deepak Behera.
This was Mohanty’s maiden first-class half-century, bettering his previous highest score of 28 not out, which he also had scored against Punjab last season at Bhubaneshwar.
Vice-captain Natraj Behera led Odisha in this match as skipper Haladhar Das was dropped from the team and sent home for violating the code of conduct the night before the start of the match. According to Orissa Cricket Association secretary Asirbad Behera, Das violated the conduct by skipping team dinner and taking alcohol the night before the start of the match.
Like Odisha, Punjab also suffered a top-order collapse and were struggling at 26 for 3 and again at 144 for 6. But a half-century by Uday Kaul (62 off 116b, 8x4) and useful knocks by Mayank Sidana (30) and Karan Goel (36) helped them overcome the crisis.
Later wicket-keeper Gitansh Khera turned the table on the visitors, hitting a valuable 47 and compiling 35 crucial runs for the ninth wicket partnership with tail-ender Sandeep Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 23. Punjab, in the process, took a four-run first innings lead before declaring at 255 for 9.
Odisha bowlers, however, put up creditable performance in the day with pace spearhead Basant Mohanty, off-spinner Lagnajit Samal scalping three wickets each and young medium-pacer Alok Mangaraj taking a brace on his debut. Mohanty, in the process, became the ninth Odisha bowler after Debasis Mohanty, Sanjay Satpathy, Sanjay Raul, Ranjib Biswal, Sushil Kumar, Harmohan Praharaj, NN Swamy and Sourajit Mohapatra to bag 100 wickets in first class cricket.
The thumping victory fetched Punjab five points, while Odisha drew blank. This was Punjab’s third win in nine Ranji Trophy matches against Odisha. Out of the eight meetings in the past Odisha once and five ended in draws. Of the five drawn encounters, Punjab took first innings lead thrice and Odisha twice.
SCOREBOARD
ODISHA (1st innings): Bikas Pati b Barinder 5, Natraj Behera b Sandeep 33, Paresh Patel c Khera b Barinder 1, Biplab Samantray lbw Barinder 0, Abhilash Mallick c Harbhajan b Sandeep 8, Subhrajit Sahoo c Mandeep b Sandeep 56, Langnajit Samal c Mandeep b Harbahajan 19, Deepak Behera c Goel b Sandeep 48, Basant Mohanty (not out) 60, Jayanta Behera c Khera b Gony 0, Alok Mangaraj b Sandeep 3; Extras (b-1, lb-4, nb-10, w-3) 18.
Total (all out, 85.4 overs) 251
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-23, 3-23, 4-46, 5-56, 6-105, 7-152, 8-235, 9-246, 10-251.
Bowling: Manpreet Gony 21-1-57-1, Barinder Singh 18-1-66-3, Sandeep Sharma 22.4-1-53-5, Harbhajan Singh 18-4-44-1, Karan Goel 4-0-19-0, Sarul Kanwar 2-0-7-0.
PUNJAB (1st innings): Sarul Kanwar c Sahoo b Mohanty 0, Ravi Inder Singh b Mangaraj 4, Uday Kaul c Samantray b Samal 62, Mandeep Singh lbw b Mohanty 12, Mayank Sidana (run out) 30, Karan Goel c B Pati b Mangaraj 36, Harbhajan Singh lbw b Samal 14, Gitansh Khera b Samal 47, Manpreet Gony b Moihanty 9, Sandeep Sharma (not out) 23; Extras (b-1, lb-5, nb-10, w-2) 18.
Total (9 wkt decl, 78.4 overs) 255
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-6, 3-26, 4-94, 5-128, 6-144, 7-189, 8-220, 9-255
Bowling: Basant Mohanty 26-4-76-3, Alok Mangaraj 17-2-57-2, Deepak Behera 13-2-39-0, Biplab Samantray 2-0-6-0, Jayant Behera 7-1-24-0, Langnajit Samal 9.4-0-36-3, Paresh Patel 4-1-11-0.
ODISHA (2nd innings): Bikas Pati c Sandeep b Gony 7, Natraj Behera c Kaul b Barinder 0, Paresh Patel lbw b Sandeep 13, Biplab Samantray lbw b Gony 4, Abhilash Mallick c R Inder b Barinder 9, Subhrajit Sahoo c Kaul b Barinder 21, Deepak Behera b Barinder 0, Langnajit Samal (not out) 14, Basant Mohanty c Mandeep b Gony 3, Jayanta Behera c Kaul b Gony 0, Alok Mangaraj b Gony 0; Extras (nb-2) 2.
Total (all out, 34.5 overs) 73
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-17, 3-25, 4-25, 5-45, 6-55, 7-56, 8-73, 9-73, 10-73
Bowling: Barinder Singh 13-5-27-4, Sandeep Sharma 10-2-27-2, Manpreet Gony 8.5-4-13-4, Harbhajan Singh 3-1-6-0.
PUNJAB (2nd innings): Sarul Kanwar c Samal b Mohanty 6, Ravi Inder Singh (not out) 36, Uday Kaul c S Sahoo b Mangaraj 2, Mandeep Singh (not out) 26; Extras (lb-1, w-1) 2
Total (2 wkts, 18.5 overs) 70
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-11
Bowling: Basant Mohanty 5-3-11-1, Alok Mangaraj 6.5-1-21-1, Deepak Behera 1-0-12-0, Jayant Behera 3-1-21-1, Langajit Samal 3-0-4-0.
