Cuttack: Uttarakhand won the honours on Day 1 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D clash against Odisha here on Friday as they reached 232/3 after opting to bat first.
Odisha made an encouraging start, with Rajesh Mohanty having Kunal Chandela caught behind by Aashirwad Swain with the third ball of the match at DRIEMS ground.
Fellow-pacer Sunil Roul got into the act in his opening over, going through the defence of the other opener Sanjeet Sajwan.
At 22/2 in the 8th over, Odisha had reasons to celebrate.
But then they ran into the determined duo of Vaibhav Bhatt (101 batting) and skipper Jiwanjot Singh (90). They put their heads down to repair the early damage and stabilise the Uttarakhand innings.
Vaibhav was more circumspect, reaching his century in 285 balls. He has hit 12 fours and a six so far. Jiwanjot scored at a faster clip, his 90 coming in 178 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries.
The home team used seven bowlers but failed to break the fourth-wicket partnership till left-arm spinner Harshit Rathod had former Punjab batter Jiwanjot stumped by Swain, 10 short of his century. By then, Vaibhav and Jiwanjot had added 180 priceless runs.
Brief Scores
Uttarakhand 232/3 in 90 overs (Vaibhav Bhatt 101 batting, Jiwanjot Singh 90; Rajesh Mohanty 1/25, Sunil Roul 1/43) vs Odisha
Match to continue on Day 2.
