Cuttack: A lion-hearted effort by Sandeep Pattanaik helped Odisha avoid an outright defeat in their Ranji Trophy clash against Jammu & Kashmir here at the Barabati Stadium.
Set a victory target of 269 in a minimum of 74 overs, Odisha collapsed in a heap and stared at certain defeat as they were reduced to 29/4 and then 93/7.
However, Pattanaik stood tall at one end and received some resolute support from the tailenders to deny Jammu & Kashmir full points. When play was called off, Odisha had reached 112/8, with No. 3 batter Pattanaik unbeaten on 55.
Thanks to their 2-run lead in the first innings, Odisha pocketed 3 points while J&K earned 1 from the drawn game.
In the morning, Abdul Samad completed his second century of the match and was not out on 108 when skipper Paras Dogra effected a challenging declaration at 270/7 after an hour’s play on the final day to push for a win.
Free-stroking Samad, who had compiled 127 off 117 balls in the first innings, stroked a run-a-ball unbeaten century, striking 5 fours and 6 sixes. The 22-year-old right-hander was adjudged Player of the Match.
Odisha showed no inclination to chase an outright win, and adopted a safety-first approach to try and ensure 3 points.
But they were in trouble before long, and kept losing wickets without any partnership developing and the scoreboard moving at a snail’s pace. After openers Shantanu Mishra (6 off 25 balls) and Anurag Sarangi (1 off 15) fell by the eighth over, Kartik Biswal quickly followed them back to the pavilion.
Skipper Govinda Poddar, who scored a brilliant 133 not out in the first innings, spent some time at the crease before being dismissed for 9 off 33 balls.
Biplab Samantaray (12 off 68) tried to give Pattanaik support, with the fifth-wicket pair negotiating 20 overs. The lower-order batters tried their best to stay at the crease in Pattanaik’s company, with Rajesh Mohanty facing 60 balls for his 13, Aashirwad Swain 24 balls for 2 runs and Sumit Sharma 29 balls for 2.
Their ultra-defensive batting ultimately helped Odisha steal a draw, as Pattanaik remained unbeaten on 55 (222 balls, 7×4). It was a half-century worth its weight in gold.
Odisha had been awarded one point in their season opener against Tripura, which was abandoned without a ball bowled.
Brief Scores
Jammu & Kashmir 1st innings: 270.
Odisha 1st innings: 272.
Jammu & Kashmir 2nd innings: 270/7 declared (Abdul Samad 108 not out; Suryakant Pradhan 3/46, Kartik Biswal 2/25).
Odisha 2nd innings: 112/8 (Sandeep Pattanaik 55 not out; Umar Nazir 2/8, Sahil Lotra 2/10, Shubham Khajuria 2/15, Abid Mushtaque 2/38).
Result: Match drawn.
Points: Odisha 3, J&K 1.
Player of the Match: Abdul Samad (127 & 108*).
Odisha’s next match: Vs Baroda at Vadodara (Oct 26 to 29).
