Kolkata: Skipper Subhranshu Senapati led Odisha’s fightback against table-toppers Bengal in their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A clash at Eden Gardens.
Asked to bat first after the start of the match was delayed by three hours due to a wet ground on Tuesday, Odisha were reduced to 139/5 in the morning session on Day 2.
Subhranshu held firm to score a gutsy 67, while lower-order batters Sunil Roul (24) and Suryakant Pradhan (22) made useful contributions to help Odisha post 265 in the first innings.
Medium-pacers Basant Mohanty and Roul then struck with the new ball, leaving Bengal at 39/2 at stumps on Wednesday.
The final group league contest for both teams, there isn’t much at stake for either Bengal or Odisha. Bengal, with 32 points, have already qualified for the knockout stages, while Odisha are second from bottom with just 8 points in the kitty.
Brief scores: Odisha 265 (Subhranshu Senapati 67, Shantanu Mishra 42; Pritam Chakraborty 3/59, Ishan Porel 3/67). Bengal 39/2 (Sunil Roul 1/8, Basant Mohanty 1/13).
Match to continue.
