Cooch Behar Trophy U-19: Himachal Pradesh bounce back with solid batting on Day 3
Balangir: Himachal Pradesh consolidated their position against Odisha on the third day of the Cooch Behar Trophy Under-19 multi-day match at the Gandhi Stadium here, riding on a disciplined second-innings batting effort to take a 35-run lead at stumps on Thursday.
After Odisha were bowled out for 358 in their first innings, Himachal Pradesh reached 212 for 3 in 67 overs in their second innings by the close of play. The visitors showed patience and control, ensuring they erased Odisha’s first-innings lead and moved ahead in the contest.
Vaastav R Garg anchored the innings with a resolute knock of 94 off 174 deliveries, striking six fours and a six. He held the innings together through the middle session and shared useful partnerships to keep the Odisha bowlers at bay. Aditya S Kataria provided solid support at the other end and remained unbeaten on 64 off 127 balls, studded with seven boundaries, as Himachal Pradesh closed the day in a commanding position.
For Odisha, Sayed Tufayl Ahmad was the most effective bowler, picking up two wickets for 65 runs from his 25 overs, while Arpit Mohanty chipped in with one wicket, conceding just 22 runs in his eight-over spell.
Earlier in the match, Odisha’s first-innings total of 358 was built around a fine century from Sambit K Beja, who scored 100 off 197 balls and a fluent 73 from Aditya Anand. However, Himachal Pradesh bowlers, led by Akshay P Vashisht and Siddhak Dhillon, ensured the hosts could not push on to a much bigger score.
After Himachal Pradesh won the toss and elected to bat, Odisha’s bowlers, led by Priyanshu Mohanty, delivered a disciplined performance to dismiss the visitors for 181 in 72.3 overs. Mohanty was the standout performer, claiming seven wickets while conceding just 60 runs from his 27.3 overs, including two maidens, to dismantle the Himachal batting line up. Sambit K Beja chipped in with a tidy spell as well, returning figures of one for 18 from eight overs.
For Himachal Pradesh, Aditya S Kataria top scored with a patient 57 off 84 balls, striking five boundaries, while Arpit Singh added 41 from 99 deliveries. However, wickets at regular intervals prevented the visitors from building substantial partnerships.
In reply, Odisha began cautiously and reached 44 without loss at stumps on Day 1. Openers Sambit K Beja and Abhiroop Das ensured a steady start, with Beja unbeaten on 25 off 39 balls, while Das remained not out on 18 from 51 deliveries. At the close of play on Day 1, Odisha trailed by 137 runs with all ten wickets in hand.
