Thiruvananthapuram: Odisha head coach Pravanjan Mullick has thrown his weight behind his young squad despite a difficult start to the Ranji Trophy season, insisting the team has the character to recover from back-to-back defeats.
Odisha suffered an innings and 36-run defeat against Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday. Resuming the final day at 102/4 in their second innings after being asked to follow on, and still 77 runs behind Kerala’s first-innings total of 404, Odisha lost their remaining six wicket for just 41 runs to be bowled out for 143. The setback came on the heels of a 10-wicket defeat to Gujarat in their season.
Yet Mullick remained optimistic. “I’ve spoken to the players individually and tried to motivate them. They are disappointed but I have complete confidence in this team. They will bounce back very soon,” the coach told the media after the match.
While Odisha’s results have been disappointing, Mullick pointed to encouraging signs at the top of the order.
“We were looking for an opener and I think we have found one. Gourav Choudhary, though he’s not a youngster, has scored more than 230 runs in two matches. That’s a positive for us.”
The coach, however, admitted Odisha let a crucial opportunity slip in Kerala’s first innings. The visitors had the hosts under severe pressure at 58/4 and then 101/5, only to allow them to recover past 400 and seize control of the match.
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