Maharashtra succumb to pace and variable bounce

Odisha bowled out Maharashtra twice in 62.4 overs on the second day to wrap up an innings victory in Wayanad. This was the second two-day finish of the season; the first was in the seventh round when Baroda beat Bengal by 21 runs in Lahli, where the seamers took 38 of 40 wickets to fall.

The seamers thrived in Waynad too, taking all 21 wickets to fall on the second day. Anupam Sanklecha claimed the first when he had Basant Mohanty lbw for 12 and dismissed Odisha for 319 from an overnight 311 for 9. In reply, Maharashtra crashed to 94 all-out in 26 overs. Asked to follow-on, they slumped to 46 for 7 in 26.2 overs, before twenty-somethings from wicketkeeper Vishant More and Sanklecha dragged them past three figures. Maharashtra were ultimately brushed aside for 107 in 36.4 overs. The 376 balls they faced in this match was their lowest of any match in the last ten seasons when they were bowled out twice.

All the same, players from both teams agreed that the pitch was not unplayable, but did pose difficult questions with variable bounce. Several balls reared from a good length and rapped the gloves of the batsmen, while some from the same area kept low, according to Maharashtra’s Chirag Khurana, who managed three runs across both innings.

“One ball bounces from a …

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