Ranji Trophy: Odisha Register Emphatic Win Against Goa

Bhubaneswar: Odisha ended their campaign in the on-going Ranji Trophy season with a huge win as they defeated Goa by 276 run in the elite group C match at Vikash Cricket Ground here on Wednesday.

After an impressive 352 in the first innings, thanks to Sandeep Pattnaik’s ton and some amazing batting lower down the order by Suryakanta Pradhan (65), Basant Mohanty (28) and Rajesh Mohanty (30*), the hosts folded up for 151 in their second innings.

Goa scored poorly in both innings and with 388 to win, the team could hardly display any valour and were bundled out for 111 in less than 30 overs. They had scored a paltry 116 in the first innings.

Basant Mohanty and Rajesh Mohanty of Odisha shared nine wickets between them and helped the team script a victory in the low-scoring clash.

All-rounder Suryakant Pradhan was declared man of the match for his brilliant knock of 65 in the first innings and taking five wickets in the match.

This Ranji season has been a mixed bag for Odisha, which lost matches despite playing some impressive games. This win helped the team overcome a losing streak after back-to-back defeats against Rajasthan and Jharkhand. Odisha drew its first match against Haryana followed by a 10-wicket loss to Uttar Pradesh before winning a crucial match against Assam in Guwahati. In its fourth match, Odisha thrashed Tripura by 5 wickets.

Goa, with only 6 points from the season, have finished at the bottom and relegated to Plate for the next season.