Vijay Merchant Trophy: Punjab crush Odisha by an innings and 179 runs

Morena: Punjab produced a dominant all-round performance to register a thumping innings-and-179-run victory over Odisha in their Vijay Merchant Trophy (U-16) multi-day clash at the MPCA Ground, here on Thursday.

After Odisha won the toss and opted to field, Punjab laid the foundation of their victory with a massive first-innings total of 371 all out in 121.4 overs. The innings revolved around a marathon knock from Shivansh, who remained unbeaten on 176 off 307 balls, hitting 24 fours and a six. He found solid support from Ayaan Srivastava, who contributed 43 off 105 balls. For Odisha, Gunjan Sahoo (4/109) and Sheeben Majhi (3/78) were the main wicket-takers but struggled to contain the flow of runs.

In reply, Odisha folded cheaply in their first innings, getting bowled out for 111. Neil Nitin Mohanty top-scored with an aggressive 44 off 38 balls, while Bhabatosh Barik chipped in with 13. Punjab’s bowlers were relentless, led by Varun, who returned outstanding figures of 6 for 14 in 10.2 overs, ripping through the Odisha batting lineup.

With a commanding lead, Punjab enforced the follow-on. Odisha fared only marginally better in their second innings, managing 81 all out. Bhabatosh Barik once again showed resistance with 20 off 25 balls, while Midhansu Das fought hard for his 17 off 60 balls. Punjab’s bowling attack remained disciplined, with Paras Dhamija producing a superb spell of 4 for 4 in 5 overs, well supported by Varun, who claimed 3 for 26 in 12 overs.