Basant Mohanty and Deepak Behera produced a devasting display of pace bowling to bundle out hosts Punjab for a paltry 167 in their first innings and give Odisha the upperhand on the opening day of a Grouop B Ranji Trophy cricket match here today.
Mohanty (4/43) and Behera (4/47) shared eight wickets between them to demolish Punjab at their home ground. Alok Mangaraj (2/50) also chipped in with two wickets.
Barring opener Jiwanjot Singh (24) and Taruwar Kohli (14), Punjab's no other top-order batsman could manage double digit scores as they fell flat in front of Mohanty and Behera's fiery bowling.
If not for a rearguard 112-ball 94-run last wicket partnership between Manpreet Gony and Sandeep Sharma, Punjab could have been bowled out under the 100-run mark.
At one stage Punjab were 73 for the loss of nine wickets, but Gony and Sharma saved the hosts from humiliation as they took the attack to the opposition to pile up runs.
Sharma (35) was the last wicket to fall but Gony remained unbeaten on 51 off 52 balls and struck six boundaries in the process.
At stumps, Odisha were 54 for one in 22 overs in reply to Punjab's 167.
Girja Rout was batting on 24, while Paresh Patel (27) was the lone Odisha wicket to depart bowled by Sharma (1/16).
Brief Scores:
Punjab 1st innings: 167 all out in 57.2 overs (Manpreet Gony 51 not out; Basant Mohanty 4/43, Deepak Behera 4/47).
