Lucknow: It was heartbreak for Odisha on Friday as they lost by the slimmest margin of one run against a strong Tamil Nadu side in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 meet.
Odisha will consider themselves a trifle unlucky to have missed their second successive victory. Chasing 166, Odisha finished at 164 for 6 in 20 overs.
On Thursday, Odisha beat Goa by 4 wickets with a ball to spare in their opening Elite Group A match.
As the chase got tight in the closing stages of the match, a powerful stroke was stopped close to the the boundary, which Odisha players felt had crossed the line. The umpires, however, thought otherwise and didn’t signal a boundary. The extra runs could have helped Odisha reach the victory target.
After Odisha lost their openers, Anshuman Rath and skipper Rajesh Dhupar, within the first six overs of power play, Subhranshu Senapati took charge. The 24-year-old right-hander smashed 67 off 47 balls, embellished with 3 fours and 3 sixes. He received good support from Govinda Poddar (29) and Abhishek Raut (38 not out off 21 balls).
Subhranshu was dismissed in the 18th over, but Abhishek kept Odisha’s hopes alive hitting 4 fours and a six. In the end, though, they fell agonizingly short of what would have been a fine victory.
Earlier, Tamil Nadu posted 165 for 5 after being asked to bat first by Odisha skipper Dhuper. Baba Aparajith scored an unbeaten 44 off 28 balls, while M Mohammed blasted an unbeaten 27 off just 12 balls.
Abhishek Raut excelled with the ball, too, bagging 2/25 in 3 overs.
Scores: Tamil Nadu 165/5 in 20 overs. Odisha 164/6 in 20 overs.
Result: Tamil Nadu won by 1 run.
