Tufayl Ahmad bowling heroics go in vain today

It was a heartbreaking final day for cricket fans in the state as Odisha suffered a close defeat against neighbors Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A clash. Playing at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, the home team successfully chased down a target of 246 runs to win by 4 wickets on Sunday.

Odisha fought hard until the very end, thanks to a spirited bowling performance by Sayed Tufayl Ahmad. However, a match-winning innings by Jharkhand’s Robin Minz proved to be the difference between the two sides.

Jharkhand Chases Down Victory

Resuming the final day, Jharkhand needed to be calculated in their pursuit of 246. Sharandeep Singh provided stability with a solid 64 off 168 balls, anchoring the innings. However, it was Robin Minz who changed the momentum. The Player of the Match scored an aggressive 63 off just 73 balls, hitting six boundaries and a six.

Odisha’s Sayed Tufayl Ahmad kept the visitors in the hunt, ripping through the Jharkhand lineup to claim 4 wickets for 101 runs. Despite his efforts and two wickets from Govinda Poddar, Anukul Roy (45 runs) and Aditya Singh (22 not out) guided Jharkhand across the finish line with six wickets down.

Odisha’s Batting Struggles

Earlier in the match, Odisha posted a competitive 282 in the first innings, led by Swastik Samal (79) and Govinda Poddar (64). They secured a slight first-innings lead by restricting Jharkhand to 263.

However, the second innings saw a batting collapse. Apart from captain Subhranshu Senapati, who played a captain's knock of 73 runs, and some resistance from Govinda Poddar (31) and Anil Parida (28), the batting order crumbled against the spin of Anukul Roy. Roy claimed a brilliant 5-wicket haul, limiting Odisha to just 226 runs and setting a chaseable target for the hosts.

This loss is a tough blow for the Odisha team, who showed great potential in patches but failed to seize key moments on the third and fourth days.