Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Nov 2: Orissa batters failed to deliver the goods once more as they were bowled out for 217 – losing their last six wickets for 22 runs – on the final day of their Group A Ranji Trophy tie at the KIIT Cricket Stadium against Delhi here Monday.
The Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) had appointed Rashmi Ranjan Parida as the batting coach of the Orissa team at the start of the season. But then, such appointments are of no use if the batsmen fail to apply themselves. The bowlers have been constantly delivering for Orissa since the start of the event, but their batting teammates have never stood up when the situation demanded. It is high time the OCA pulls up and take stringent action against players failing in three matches in a row.
For the record 18 wickets fell during the day as after the dismissal of the hosts, Delhi collpased to 193 for nine declared and in their second innings, Orissa ended at 88 for three.
Pradeep Sangwan (7/38) emerged hero for Delhi claiming five of the six Orissa wickets to fall in the day. But then Basant Mohanty (6/39) bowled with fire to trigger a Delhi collapse. In the process, Basant achieved a hat-trick, being the second Orissa bowler to do so in Ranji Trophy.
The end result was that in a match where three first innings points were achievable for Orissa, the hosts had to remain satisfied with a single point (conceding first innings lead) and they slid to seventh position in the nine-team Group A table.
Resuming at their overnight score of 195 for four, the hosts were in trouble straightaway losing Anurag Sarangi (76), Abhilash Mallick (0) and Pratik Das (16) with the addition of only one run to the team total and in the space of 14 deliveries. Sangwan got rid of Sarangi and Das while Navdeep Saini got rid of Mallick. The writing was clear on the wall then for the hosts.
Delhi began their second innings in solid fashion with each of the three top-order batsmen scoring half centuries. They were comfortably placed at 159 for three but ended up losing next six wickets for just 34 runs. Basant took the wickets of P Bisht, S Bhatti and Pulkit Narang to etch his name in the history books.
Brief scores: Delhi 311 and 193 for nine (Dhruv Shorey 62, Gautam Gambhir 54, Basant Mohanty 6/39); Orissa 217 (Pradeep Sangwan 7/38) and 88/3 (Natraj Behera 35; Pulkit Narang 2/29). Match drawn.
Other Group A Matches
(At Nagpur): Vidarbha 332 & 149; Maharashtra 237 & 162 (HK Khadiwale 55; AA Wakhare 6/58). Vidarbha won by 82 runs.
(At Jaipur): Karnataka 281 & 318/5 decl; Rajasthan 242 & 265 (PI Sharma 114; DK Mathias 3/53). Karnataka won by 92 runs.
(At Lahli): Bengal 329 & 211/8 decl; Haryana 225 & 195/6 (RP Sharma 50, S Rana 50; A Dinda 3/52) Match drawn.
