Basant bags hat-trick in drawn Ranji tie against Delhi

Host Odisha medium-pacer Basant Mohanty achieved a glorious feat by taking a hat-trick aginst seven-time champions Delhi on the eventful fourth and last day their Group A Ranji Trophy match, which ended in a draw here at KIIT Cricket Stadium today.

But riding on a career-best haul of seven for 38 by their medium-pacer Pradeep Sangwan, Delhi gained three points from the hard-fought match for taking a first-innings lead of 94 runs, while Odisha settled with one point. Sangwan, who completed 150 first-class wickets in the process, was named the player of the match.

Mohanty became the third Odisha bowler to take a hat-trick, dismissing Puneet Bisht, Subodh Bhati and Pulkit Narang in the second innings. Sourajit Mohapatra and Ajay Barik were other two Odisha bowlers to take this distinction in Ranji Trophy before Mohanty.

Sourajit tasted the success first at Barabati Stadium against Tripura in 1987-88, dismissing Sanjib Paul, Hiralal Dutta and Abhijit Das in the first innings. Fourteen years later in 2001-02, Ajay emulated the feat against Assam at Permit Ground in Balasore, scalping Bachan Singh, Gopalkrishnan and Sukhwinder Singh in the second innings.