BARGARH 18-Dec-2014 108
Riding on a century by captain Pratik Das and a half-century each by Ranjit Singh and Kameswar Barik, hosts Odisha fought back with conviction to draw their four-day C K Nayudu Trophy U-23 Elite Group B match against Uttar Pradesh here at Vikash Cricket Stadium today.
Chasing a daunting target of 450 runs for victory Odisha forced the draw by making 356 for nine in the second innings. However, UP gained three points from the match by virtue of taking an 84-run first innings lead, while Odisha settled with one point.
Das led the fight back from the front with a polished 119, which included 18 boundaries. Two century partnerships proved very helpful for Odisha. Das put on 106 runs for the fourth wicket Ranjit Singh and added another 103 for the seventh wicket with Kameswar Barik. Ranjit scored 80 (14x4, 1x6), while Barik contributed 51 (10x4).
Despite valuable contributions of the trio, the fear of defeat still loomed large over Odisha as they slumped from 352 for seven to 354 for nine, losing three wickets in space of just two runs. But Manish Rout and Pardesi Nisad survived six overs and one ball to deny UP the victory.
