Bhubaneswar: Orissa were left frustrated as they had to share points with Tripura in a rain-curtailed Ranji Trophy Group C encounter which ended in a draw Monday at the Vikas Ground here. Both sides got a point each from the game with the first innings of Orissa still in process when the game was called off due to a drizzle and poor light.
The only solace from the game for Orissa was the form of left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh (5/55). It was his fifth five-wicket haul in first class cricket. He was well-supported by Suryakant Pradhan (2/35) as Tripura declared their first innings at 194 for eight.
If Dhiraj was the star performer for the hosts, then for Tripura it was Udayan Bose (151b, 14×4, 5×6) who stood out among the batsmen. Bishal Ghosh (18), Yashpal Singh (20) and skipper Manisankar Murasingh (17) got starts, but failed to consolidate.
When Orissa batted, they lost youngster Sandeep Patnaik (0) cheaply. Skipper Govind Poddar (8 n o) and comeback man Natraj Behera (6 n o) then saw Orissa through without further loss till stumps.
Orissa will play their next match against Andhra Pradesh at Vizianagaram, October 24.
Brief scores: Tripura 194/8 decl (Udayan Bose 104; Dhiraj Singh 5/55); Orissa 18/1. Match drawn.
Other group C results:
At Chennai: Tamil Nadu 176 & 350/6 decl (Baba Aparajith 108 n o) vs Andhra Pradesh 309 & 198/7 (Srikar Bharat 64; Krishnamoorthy Vignesh 3/34). Match drawn. AP three points, TN one.
At Indore: Madhya Pradesh 551/8 decl & 73/2 (Harpreet Singh 44 n o) bt Baroda 302 (f/o) & 318 (Yusuf Pathan 136 n o, Atit Sheth 109; Ishwar Pandey 5/40) by eight wickets. MP six points
Shaky start
Orissa had a shaky start as they lost four quick wickets for 79 against Chhattisgarh at stumps on the second day of the Col CK Nayudu Trophy at the Gandhi Stadium in Bolangir, Monday. The match started late after the game had been washed out Sunday. Rajesh Dhupar (31 batting) was holding the Orissa innings together.
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