ALL-ROUNDER Jagjot Singh Sasan showcased his batting prowess with a quickfire half century as Vidarbha colts dominated opening day of their Cooch Behar Trophy match against Odisha at Azam Campus, Pune on Monday. Put into bat, Vidarbha scored at a brisk pace and were 355 all out in 76.2 overs. For Vidarbha, Jagjot, Abhishek Agrawal and Rohit Binkar hit fifties. In the possible five overs, Odisha openers made 22 without being separated in reply at stumps on first day of the four-day match. Odisha skipper Shresth Singh won the toss and invited Vidarbha to take first strike.

 

Openers Binkar (53; 67b, 12x4) and Siddhesh Kantode (22; 41b, 3x4) gave the team a solid start adding 65 runs in 15 overs. On first ball of the 16th over, Kantode became Aditya Jaisingh’s (5-84) first of the five victims. Agrawal (74; 98b, 12x4, 1x6) and Binkar took the score to 96 when Binkar departed going to the same bowler. Agrawal-Danish Malewar (22; 42b, 4x4) pair combined well to collect 41 runs. Just when they looked set, Malewar was adjudged lbw to Ashutosh Chhuria. Agrawal was going great guns and in company of Zubairoddin (38; 51b, 7x4) guided Vidarbha to 216 before Agrawal got out in 49th over.

 

Coming at number six, Sasan played some bold shots. He scored at a strike rate of 107.89 clearing the ropes by quite a distance for his five sixes. he also sent the leather to the ropes on seven occasions. Wickets of Zubairoddin, Ashit Singh (7) and captain Tejas Soni (26) did not deter Sasan’s stroke making. After, he was eighth out at 350, Vidarbha could add just five more runs for the last two wickets. Odisha openers Dinesh Majhi (4*) and Saransh Kumar (17*) played out the five overs. On a fresh morning, onus will be on Vidarbha bowlers to give the team early wickets and restrict the opponents.