Odisha beat Himachal by 3 runs in Vijay Hazare match

Off-spinner Govinda Poddar grabbed four wickets for 27 runs to help Odisha beat Himachal Pradesh by a narrow three-run margin in a rain-curtailed Elite Group B match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, here on Wednesday.

The match was delayed due to wet outfield and it was reduced to a 21-over-a-side affair with Himachal opting to bowl first at Sangramsinh Gaekwad Sports Academy.

Odisha could score 145 for 8 from the allotted 21 overs with Subhranshu Senapati top-scoring with a 34-ball 39 while Abhishek Yadav and Prayash Singh chipped in with 34 and 31 runs respectively.

For Himachal, Ankit Maini took three wickets while Pankaj Jaiswal grabbed two.

Chasing 146 for a win, Himachal were on course for a win, reaching 72 for one at the end of 10 overs before Poddar triggered a batting collapse with four wickets in a fine spin-bowling spell.

Himachal were reduced to 106 for 5 in the 17th over, adding just 34 runs in 6.3 overs while losing four wickets.

In the end, Himachal needed 12 runs from the final over but could only score eight to end their innings at 142 for 9 to lose by three runs.

Opener Prashant Chopra top-scored for Himachal.

The other two matches at different venues here were abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.

Haryana and Punjab secured two points each at Moti Bagh Stadium while Maharashtra and Vidarbha did the same at Gujarat State Fertilizer Corporation Ground.

Brief Scores:
Odisha: 145 for 8 from 21 overs (Subhranshu Senapati 39; Ankit Maini 3/14)