Bhubaneswar: Odisha rode Govinda Poddar’s all-round show and young opener Om T Munde’s brilliance to an emphatic 6-wicket win over Andhra Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy clash at KSCA Ground in Alur, Karnataka, on Monday.
After dismissing the strong Andhra team for 221, Odisha achieved the target losing 4 wickets and with 6.2 overs to spare.
It was Odisha’s second straight win in the tournament, pushing them to second spot in Elite Group D with 8 points from three games.
Team India cricketer Nitish Reddy dismissed Swastik Samal off the Odisha innings’ first ball, the opener’s second duck following a double century in the opening game. When Sandeep Pattanaik fell for 19, Odisha were in a spot of bother at 31/2.
It was then that Poddar and Munde joined forces in a match-winning partnership of 166 runs. Both missed their centuries, 22-year-old Munde falling for 91 (111 balls, 7×4) and 34-year-old Poddar getting out at 89 (105 balls, 9×4), but they had ensured a fine victory for Odisha.
Earlier, Odisha bowlers fired in unison against a batting lineup which had India Test players KS Bharat and Nitish Reddy in their ranks. Bharat scored 32 while Nitish managed 6 before having his stumps disturbed by Sambit Baral.
Part-time bowlers Poddar and skipper Biplab Samantray bagged three wickets each, while pacers Rajesh Mohanty, Debabrata Pradhan, Baral and Badal Biswal claimed one each.
Andhra wouldn’t have reached 221 had it not been for 22-year-old SD Prasad’s 64-ball 66 and a spirited last-wicket stand between Saurabh Kumar (47 off 26 balls) and No. 11 S Raju, whose contribution in the 47-run partnership was just a single run.
BRIEF SCORES
Andhra Pradesh 221 all out in 49.2 overs (SD Prasad 66, Saurabh Kumar 47; Biplab Samantray 3/36, Govinda Poddar 3/36).
Odisha 223/4 in 43.4 overs (Om Munde 91, Govinda Poddar 89; S Raju 2/49).
Result: Odisha beat Andhra by 6 wickets.
Player of the Match: Govinda Poddar.
Group D standings: Odisha 2nd (8 points from 3 matches), Andhra 7th (4 points from 3).
Next match: Odisha vs Delhi (Dec 31, Alur).
