Vijay Merchant Trophy: Odisha trail Bihar by 70 runs at end of Day 2

Gwalior: Odisha were left trailing by 70 runs at stumps on the second day of their Vijay Merchant Trophy Under-16 multi-day match against Bihar at the Scindia School Cricket Ground, here on Friday.

After opting to field, Odisha restricted Bihar to 217 for 6 at the end of the opening day. Abhinav Sinha held the Bihar innings together with a composed 62 off 164 balls, while Yash chipped in with 44 from 124 deliveries. Odisha bowlers kept things tight, led by Mrutyunjay Das, who picked up four wickets and Himnish Sahu, who claimed two.

Bihar went on to add valuable runs on Day 2 before being dismissed for 288. Sinha and Yash remained the main contributors with the bat, while Odisha shared the wickets, with Mrutyunjay Das finishing with four scalps. Himnish Sahu and Partha Sarathi Lenka supported well, picking up three wickets each.

In reply, Odisha reached 218 for 6 in 66.5 overs by the close of play on the second day. Neil Nitin Mohanty led the batting effort with an attacking 75 off 77 balls, laced with 14 boundaries. Aurobinda Muduli provided stability with a patient 51 off 130 balls. For Bihar, Shiwansh returned figures of 3 for 38, while Partha claimed two wickets.

With Odisha still 70 runs short of Bihar’s first-innings total at stumps on Day 2, the match remains finely poised heading into the next day.